Just A Word
by Marchtoyourowndrum
Summary: Soul and Maka want nothing to do with eachother but are forced to work together. But a forced partnership might just set things in motion. REVISED CHAPTERS ARE UP!
1. 2 different worlds yet the same

Just a Word.

Chapter 1

~2 different worlds yet the same~

The early morning sun bore down on the seemingly endless staircase of the Shibusen Academy, otherwise known as the DWMA (death weapon meisters academy). A trio of boys headed up the staircase, not seeming to mind the lengthy trip to the top. Two of the boys had an idle conversation going as they mostly ignored the third boys who was shouting nonsense as loud as he could.

About halfway up the staircase the loud boy, who had shockingly blue hair, bumped into a girl with black pigtails who was staring wistfully up the stairs. The other two sighed at this.

"Are you okay?" The boy with black hair asked her.

"oh um yes." She mumbled staring up at them with wide eyes.

"Are you sure you're alright? You seem very tired." The black haired boy asked, the girl nodded slowly fixated on the white strips on his hair.

"And sweaty." The blue haired boy snickered.

"Im fine, just very tired. It's such a long way up. I'm Tsugumi Harudori."

The white haired boy glanced behind them and raised an eyebrow at her, as did the blue haired boy.

"Ah, some people are not used to the walk up to father's magnificent school." The black haired boy nodded to himself. "I am Death the Kidd."

"Soul." The white hair boy grumbled.

"I am the Great Black Star! I will one day be God!"

"Have a safe trip to the top." Kidd said to her as he and the other two turned and kept on their way.

Tsugumi nodded to herself and kept going, ignoring the ache in her calves. She reached the top a while after them, staring gape mouthed as Kidd, shouted something about the beauty of his father's school. She looked around, the girl she had first met on the stairs seemed nice, she wondered if she would ever see her again. A paper crinkled under her foot, she glanced down and saw a note and a bottle of water. It was from the girl on the stairs, Maka. Tsugumi smiled again, she was about to head off to class when she heard arguing.

Curiously she glanced around only to see Maka arguing with the white haired boy Soul.

"What is your deal Albarn? Are you just bitchy because you can't the top of class or because no guy would ever want to date you?" Soul sneered down at her.

Maka glared up at him. "Shut up you perverted idiot!"

Soul gave her a questioning glance at the odd flicker he'd seen on her face a second before.

Maka reached behind him and thwacked him over the head with a book. She gave him one final glare before leaving, 4 other girls walked with her. Soul held his head and looked at her curiously before leaving with Kidd and Black Star.

Tsugumi blinked at the space where they had been…things were weird here. She was then shuffled away in a herd of other new students.

Maka stalked into her classroom, Tsubaki, Liz and Patti immediately sat down by her, while Kim waved at her and strode toward Jacqueline. She sat down if a huff.

"Maka are you okay?" Liz asked as Maka snapped her pencil in her hand.

"I just hate that idiot so much!" she glared at the wall.

Tsubaki blinked. "He hasn't really done all that much to you though."

"Maka's insane!" Patti cheered.

"No I'm not. I just hate him." Maka declared settling back into her seat and breathing heavily through her nose.

"Whatever, are you sure you just not in love with him?" Liz teased drawing out the love.

Maka stared at her wide eyed. "No!"

"Fine, fine geez I was just playing." Liz shrugged turning her attention back to her nails.

"Maka are you sure? I mean before…" Tsubaki whispered at the girl.

Maka hushed her. "No. Not anymore. That was before I knew how he was. Now he's just a self-centered, arrogant, perverted idiot."

"Oh well if you say so Maka." Tsubaki nodded turning back in her seat as Black Star, Kidd, and Soul entered the room shortly before Dr. Stein.

"Alright kids. Today is an important day." Stein said smiling at the kids in his class. The class in response glanced at him warily.

"What are we doing?" Maka asked Dr. Stein who hadn't broken eye contact with the class yet.

"Well it has become obvious to me, the current Death Scythe and Shinigami that besides, Kidd, Liz, and Patti as well as Kim and Jacqueline no one in this class have selected a partner."

The murmurs in the room were effectively canceled out, it was a well-known fact that hardly anyone in their class had picked their weapon or meister partner, as opposed to the other classes were most people had already partnered.

"Now as one of our few E.A.T. classes this is not a very good setting. You are the people who will be going into the field unlike the N.O.T. classes, so in an effort to speed up this partnering to fully prepare you all for the," Stein a beat and then sent them all a wicked grin "fun you'll have out there, we are going to put you all in a test partnership with someone in the class. Obviously excluding those already paired."

Down in the front row, Ox Ford began to give a small noise of protest over being thwarted of his chance of pairing with Kim, but was stopped by Maka's swift kick to his chair and Harvar's elbow to his side.

"After lunch we will pair you up with one other person in this class. Some of these pairs will be random; some will be picked on each person's strengths and or weaknesses."

Tsubaki tentatively raised her hand. "Dr. Stein?" She asked.

"Ah Tsubaki, we don't hear from you often." He smiled sitting in his rolling chair and gliding across the linoleum to stop in from of Tsubaki. "Yes please go on."

"I was just wondering, how long are we going to be with these 'test' partners?"

"Ah." Stein mused. "I should have mentioned that."

Stein rolled back to the front of the room, twisting the screw in his head. "These 'test' partnerships will go on for about 2 weeks or a month. Then there'll be another partnership ceremony. In which most of you are expected to have picked definite partners by then."

The bell toned above the class.

"Goodbye class." Stein smirked as the kids packed up and left. "The fun begins after lunch."

Soul walked into the lunch room, the cacophony of sound assaulted his ears. It served as his daily reminder to why he really didn't like crowds of people, they were so loud. Soul quickly found his normal table with Black Star and Death the Kidd, occasionally Killik or somebody would come over and join them, but as Soul looked toward his table today he couldn't fathom why Maka and her little group of girls would be there.

Liz and Patti were understandable, they worked and kind of lived with Kidd, so he was used to them. Soul didn't really mind Tsubaki, the girl was quiet and kept out of the way. It was just Maka he didn't like. He couldn't place it but something about her set him off and annoyed him and she didn't help her own case at all.

She was so irritating.

Growling to himself a bit, Soul sat down and immediately set to ignoring the blonde girl who was luckily seated all the way down the table from him. Another lucky coincidence was that Maka seemed to be doing the exact same thing to him, so Soul lost himself in the repetitive actions of eating his lunch and throwing in sarcastic comments to whatever topic Black Star was yelling about today.

"So you're sure this is going to work?" Shinigami asked as Stein stood before him, Spirit glanced nervously at Stein from beside Shinigami's mirror.

"Hmm." Stein hummed thoughtfully. "It could go either way; pairs could be made or ruined."

"Normally, I wouldn't endorse this kind of set up partnership, but in these times it's needed." Spirit sighed.

"The observations should be fun." Stein smiled to himself. "Your darling Maka even has a partner for now."

"Who?" Spirit shrieked. "Which ingrate is working with my darling daughter?"

"Ah, the Demon Scythe Soul Eater."

Shinigami hummed to himself a little as Spirit practically gave himself an aneurysm over the boy who was his darling daughters' partner. That should make for an interesting pair.

"Speaking of Maka, who shall she stay with during the mission?" Shinigami asked.

Spirit paused; he had momentarily forgotten that he was to go on a top secret mission overseas for a while.

"…I don't know."

Shinigami smacked Spirit in the head. "Idiot, but there is one place she could stay."

"Where?" Spirit asked picking himself up off the floor.

"With her partner," Shinigami thought aloud. "He lives in a school owned apartment currently and living with one's partner is not that unusually."

"I don't like it." Spirit huffed.

"You should have thought of that earlier, she can't live alone while you're gone, and the only reason the Eater boy lives alone is because that complex is owned by us." Stein shrugged.

Stein puffed his cheeks out. He didn't want his little Maka to stay with this Soul boy. He didn't like him already.

"You should go inform Maka of the temporary move she'll make." Shinigami said after Spirit reluctantly agreed to the living situation.

Spirit blanched, he could only hope his daughter was on somewhat good terms with this kid, and that she wasn't too upset at her sudden relocation. With that last thought Spirit headed out the office door to what may be his doom.


	2. Truth Behind the Lies

Chapter 2

~Truth Behind the Lies~

(Maka's POV)

Truth.

Loyalty.

Friendship.

Trust.

And

Love.

Were the only things I wanted in my life.

But since my life has a way of screwing up everything I ever had or wanted all I got was,

Lies.

Betrayal.

Abandonment.

Deceit.

Hurt.

And

Loneliness.

Instead of getting what I wanted and desperately needed I got, a papa who lies to his family, cheats on his wife and tries to cover it up. I had friends who were pulled away from me by parents hating the fact my parents were divorced. I had a mother who left her young daughter in the hands of a man who was never home and constantly fooling around with other women. I had every person I ever trusted break the trust that had taken so long to build up. There was no one in my life who I could count on, no one to take care of me. I was betrayed by my family when they promised to be there for me. I was hurt that no one would care for me.

I was always alone.

I yearned for the mother who had left me when I was young who had become just a shadow, a memory and object for me to strive to become in school, in every aspect of my life including my own skills as a meister, I hated my papa for cheating on my mom causing her to leave, I hated the lies that people told me about my family. I was hurt by the betrayal of my family. I was mad that every person I needed as a child abandoned me. I was furious on how my papa tried to cover up his affairs. I needed friends who I could count on. I was hurt that when I cried to myself no one was there to wipe my tears. I wanted family who was close and loved me.

I wanted to be loved.

To protect myself, I closed myself off from other people. I was distant never trying to get close to anyone. I never told people how I felt, or what I wanted. I acted higher up then they were so that they would hate me.

Because if they hated me,

Then I would know finally know how they felt about me. I wouldn't have to guess about what their thinking. What they were going to do. Because the truth is,

I was scared.

I was scared of having people that I trusted treat me like I had been treated by my parents. I was scared of being hurt, of being lied to, being deceived, and being abandoned. I was scared of falling in love and not knowing how the other would react I was scared of being rejected and hurt by them. I was scared of being cheated on, and lied to. So I went back to the only thing I knew which was how to be

Alone.

So I began to hate men, who could very well be like my father, and hurting their families. But then one day the unthinkable happened. I had somehow made myself

Friends.

They, beginning with one and slowly branching out, came up to me and tried to be friends with me. I was hesitant around all of them, thinking that they only want to hurt me, this would end badly. But after a while, I realized they truly wanted to be my friend so for the first time in my life I let people in, I took down some of my barriers and finally I wasn't alone. In school I could talk to people and not worry about whether they'd desert me, I had even become a role model in the way I was with my technician skills, people looked up to me. My papa had realized I was in need of parents and he came in a helped me, when he was free. He helped me pick my clothes out, and make my food, and he tied ribbons in my hair. I finally was happy and had friends and a papa who watched over me and I didn't feel so alone.

Then I met him. It happened by chance that I was wandering the school before the partener ceremony, that I had found the room he was playing in and heard him play a dark tune on an old piano. It must have been my horrible luck that had made me fall for him when I saw how gracefully his hands glided on the piano, without even knowing who he was I slowly began to fall for him, the white haired red eyed boy I had never talked to and didn't even know the name of.

Later after people had partnered and I was without a partner, I saw him and learned his name,

Soul Eater.

I was beginning to love him and I had let down my barriers, and tried to experience it, But then I saw how he was.

He was cold, and unfriendly, mean and hateful. He had 2 friends whom I was friends with also, but everyone else was cast off, disregarded and treated like shit. The familiar fears I once had felt about love rose up and so I did the only thing I knew to protect myself I cast away the emotion and any feeling I had for him and I built up my barriers once again, and vowed never to fall in love.

Hating him became the easiest way for me to forget what I had once felt, and I hoped that I wouldn't ever have to deal or talk with him again. But my bad luck had finally decided to come back, and we were placed into a forced weapon-technician partnership.

And as my luck would have it, I was faced with my biggest dilemma in years, I had been forced to move in with the man I used to think I had feelings for and now swore to hate forever

Soul Eater.

(End makas pov)

Maka stared at the apartment building that loomed over her, her father was at her side nonchalantly trying to get her to walk inside.

"Are you sure I absolutely have to stay with him?" Maka asked anger adding and edge to her tone of voice.

"Uh yes maka." Her papa said hesitantly.

Maka glared at the back of her papas head "Why couldn't I stay with Tsubaki or Liz and Patti?"

"There isn't any room with Tsubaki and Kids house is full at the moment." Spirit said

"Uh huh so why am I staying here then I can stay by myself." She said stubbornly.

"The school said you aren't allowed to, and he lives here by himself and this is a school apartment complex." Spirit said slowly inching inside.

Maka sighed and began walking.

Her papa led her to the room where she was going to be staying, her stuff was currently being dragged through the hallways by her aforementioned papa.

They got the door and Maka knocking on it loudly.

'Maka is just like her Mama! So cute!" Spirit thought happily staring at his daughter.

Soul sat in his apartment, flipping through the channels absentmindedly. A harsh knock at the door broke him from the trance, he got up grumbling, about if it was Black Star again he would be in for it.

"What ?' He asked angrily while he opened the door he was met with the sight of Sprirt "Do you want?"

Spirit stood up and cleared his throat. "Soul Eater, I am here because there is to be a change in your uh…living situation."

Soul cocked his head confusedly "What the hell?"

"Due to a mission I have been sent on my daughter is going to be alone and the school and city won't allow her to be alone and since you live alone in an apartment that belongs to the school, it's been decided she'll live with you."

Soul paused. He had to live with someone, he didn't even get a say in the matter. He felt his anger begin to boil and he hadn't even met Spirit's 'daughter' yet, he wasn't even sure if the dude really had a daughter.

He threw the door open and was face to face with Maka. Green eyes met red for a second, and the world seemed to freeze, Maka felt as if she was drowning in a sea of red, Soul broke the gaze and turned his attention to Spirit.

"No way in hell." Soul said blankly. "I'm not living with her."

"Shut up Soul." Maka said turning away from him. "I can't do this. I'm going to stay with someone else papa." Maka said as she turned and walked down the hallway.

Soul paused, he had heard the rumors, about them being related but he never thought Maka who was well known for hating men, could ever be related to Spirit who was infamous among the women about being with women.

"Maka! Wait!" Spirit called after the retreating back of his daughter. "Wait here Soul." Spirit said but as he moved he fell into the pile of Makas stuff. "Um soul could you go get Maka for me I'm stuck." He said sheepishly.

"Why should I? I don't care what she does." Soul said walking back inside.

"I'll expel you." Spirit smirked.

Soul froze, expulsion meant his family had to come and he didn't want that. "Fine." He grumbled walking away.

He caught up to her easily before she could open the stair door he grabbed her wrist and spun her around.

"What do you want?" She asked glaring at him.

"Look Maka I don't want to be roommates with you anymore than you do, but we are going to be forced to, so just stop being a baby and deal with it." he said harshly.

She just glared at him stubbornly. He smirked "Or do you want to be expelled?"

Maka froze. "Mama was never expelled I can't be either." She thought determinedly. "Fine whatever lets go." She huffed following after him. They got back to his apartment and Spirit sat up happily, Maka ignored him as Soul lead the father and daughter into his apartment.

Soul looked at the pair, he never thought that Spirit was so weird, and most of the guy students looked up to him and thought he was cool, if they saw him they would rethink about who they idolized.

He sighed he really didn't want to room with Maka anyways. But he'd rather do that than see his family.

Maka put all her stuff in her room quickly, without saying a word to Soul, which Soul was just fine with, the girl was going to be living in the room across from him, and he was going to see enough of her as it was. Maka shuffled her father to the door quickly, pushing him through the frame without a pause.

"M-Maka hold up. Let me say goodbye properly." Spirit said as he was being pushed through the hall by the door.

"Why?" Maka asked irritably, she knew that if he said anything most of it would be a lie.

Soul turned his attention back to them from his vantage point on the couch, she and her dad were pretty amusing, even though he couldn't really stand her.

"But papa loves you and mama the most!" Spirit said as maka tried to push him out the door.

Maka visibly faltered in her step and everyone saw it, Spirits face softened, he knew that she didn't believe him.

"Yea tell me that once you can finally explain why you did that to us." She said tears welling up in her eyes, much to her disappointment, but gladly no one else could see her.

Before he could say anymore, he was pushed out the door and the door was shut quickly.

"You should have let him finish, you didn't have to be a bitch." Soul said letting her know of his presence.

Maka felt anger well up inside her, he knew nothing of her past so where did he get off at telling her what to do. "Soul, shut up for once you bastard and leave me alone while we have to live together." She said angrily trying to keep any hint of sadness out of her voice but failing at the task.

Soul just leaned his head back against the couch, he could hear the waver in her voice, and he didn't really want to bring up the past of a girl he didn't really care for.

'Doesn't matter" he told himself. "She can do whatever the hell she wants."

Later that night, Maka lay in her new bed staring at the moon. As her thoughts drifted off into the direction of her family, she felt hot tears stream down her face. She loved her father, she doubted that that fact would ever truly change, but she couldn't forgive him, and she missed and needed her mother so much, but she had learned early on when she was a child that tears got you nowhere in life. And before she knew it she bawling into her pillow, crying over her childhood, the mother who left her, her father who is occasionally but usually never home, friends she had lost, and of her current situation.

Across the hall in souls room, Soul rolled over onto his side so his back was facing the window, he was still tossing around the scene from earlier in the day as Maka forced her dad to leave the house. He couldn't really understand why she hated him so much and why one random line about her and her mother had been enough to almost push the girl to tears. He had known the girl for a couple years, and in all that time he had never seen her cry, though to be honest he didn't really pay that much attention or ever heard anything about her family being dysfunctional or whatever had happened between her parents. He slowly came to the realization that her situation was much similar to his.

Soul flopped around in his bed as thoughts kept dragging him back to his family. Finally Soul gave up and laid on his back and closed his eyes, hoping to not get pulled back into reminiscing of the family he tried so hard to get away from and forget.

He had a strained relationship with his family. Sure, they were rich and most people would kill to be them, but it was too stressful of a life. Having to practice music constantly, which had almost caused him to hate music itself and always living in his brothers shadow with his parents always expecting too much of him, it had become so bad and so suffocating that he enrolled in a school across the country to get away from them. That the day he found out he had the weapon gene though it had been gone for years was one of the happiest days of his life. That gene was more than a special ability to him, it was a way out.

Soul closed his eyes and thought back to the first day he was here; the memory was still burned into his mind.

(Souls POV)

I was dressed in a black pin stripe suit with a red shirt underneath and a black tie, I hated the outfit I was forced to wear by my parents who were thankfully now across the country. I hadn't had time to change when I stumbled across a room with and old ebony grand piano. I decided to play one last time, since here I didn't want to be known for my piano playing I wanted to be known for who I was. The freedom was all I could think about, after this I could do what I wanted. I no longer marched to someone else's call.

I slowly walked over to the piano bench and sat down running my fingers over the keys, I began to play, and I was so lost in the music that I almost didn't notice a person walk in. My fingers faltered for a second, it was a girl by the light footsteps, I sighed as I was about to get up. It was probably some person who knew who my family that knew I was coming, heard me play and was going to be one of the crazy fans who told everyone who I was, it wouldn't have been the first time some random person recognized the Evans gene and put two and two together with me playing the piano. But I was surprised as I kept on playing that the girl didn't move or do anything, just stood and listened, to the dark sound I was playing in hopes it would freak her out and make her leave, like it had done to everyone else, the sound that was purely me and not whatever fluff piece or bland piece my parents expected of me.

Once I finished and turned around though she was gone. I smirked to myself, I didn't even know her or what she looked like, but she was already interesting to me. I never saw her after that and no one ever came forth to mention the day in the piano room.

After that I met Black Star and Kidd along with some annoying friends of theirs, especially the girls. The one girl Maka, was annoying, she was a nerd, and short tempered and violent among other things but she seemed so familiar to me, a nagging sense in the back of my mind that I had known her from somewhere. The fact I couldn't place her face on to any memory just served to piss me off.

I had made a few close friends, and honestly a small number was just what I wanted. When they were gone I was alone, but being alone was something I wanted and was sort of used to and I felt somewhat comfortable by myself. Living with my parents, there was always someone to close, or watching you, or waiting for you to do something or to do something for you. I had craved the solitude then, for a chance to be independent and let myself just be. Finally I had gotten it, here in this random city. But then Maka showed up at my door having to stay with me, and with her arrival I could most likely say goodbye to the comforting and craved feeling of being alone. Because being surrounded by people my whole childhood, all I wished that for was that I could be,

Alone.

(End Souls POV)

Soul rolled back and faced the window, falling quickly into a deep sleep where the only thing in his mind was the his first day here.

Maka in her room had fallen asleep, but into a somewhat fitful sleep as all of her memories of her childhood, replayed themselves in her mind.

Little did the two of them know their lives were about to get a whole lot more complicated.


	3. an inconvenient truth

**Just a Word chapter 3**

**Ah, im so sorry guys its been like almost a year! Ill try to write more now that I finished one of my main stories.**

_Beginning quote: "Life is like music; it must be composed by ear, feeling, and instinct, not by rule." -Samuel Butler_

_~An inconvenient truth~_

Soul awoke to the smell of pancakes floating throughout the apartment. For a brief moment he wondered who the hell was in his house. He silently stood up and began to move stealthily across his floor making sure not the step on the creaking boards. He knew it wasn't Black Star in his house, since he knew first hand black star could not cook to save his life. Death the kid was also ruled out since nothing had been made symmetrical yet. So this lead him to believe someone who wasn't supposed to be there was in his house, and it, pissed. Him. Off.

As he walked along the wall towards his small kitchen, he wondered what he would do when he saw said person. After a moment of thinking he picked up a glass on the table and held it in his hands ready to used if he needed to defend himself, or knock out the person in his apartment. As he rounded the corner he heard a female voice humming softly, and then soul remembered the events the day before and he slowly put down the glass onto a table, feeling foolish for forgetting that she was now living with him. Though it was an odd sight, he thought to himself. Seeing the one girl he couldn't stand standing in his kitchen making them breakfast much like he did for himself since he had lived in death city, he briefly wondered if Maka had, like him, had to cook for herself for days at a time eating breakfast by herself.

He shrugged off the thought. Since when did he care what that girl did anyway.

"Oh hey Soul." maka said turning around stopping her humming mid tune.

"Aa. Hey" He said awkwardly.

She fidgeted for a second clearly feeling just as awkward as he was about their situation.

As she placed the pancakes on the table and sat down, she sighed and looked like she was contemplating something before she began to speak.

"Soul, about this living arrangement. I'd prefer if we kept it between us and didn't tell anyone." Maka said sternly losing the slightly nervous demeanor she had before.

"good. I wouldn't want anyone knowing I lived with you now would I?" Soul smirked.

Maka blushed furiously and stomped away from the table leaving a cackling soul behind.

"Well I wouldn't want anyone to know I lived with a bastard like you now would I?" she yelled back furiously slamming her door shut.

Soul smirked again, and put his stuff in the sink. Messing with her was more fun than he imagined. This living situation might not be as bad anymore …for him at least

Soul sighed audibly when he saw maka walk out of her room wearing, the same school uniform type outfit.

"What?" She asked irritably.

"Don't you ever wear anything else?" Soul asked annoyed.

"Why should I? I don't have to bend to the ways of society." Maka shrugged.

Soul had a retort on his tongue, but as soon as soon as he thought of what he'd be getting into, he sighed and gave up.

"I'm leaving first. Don't leave for a few minutes okay?" Maka said approaching the door.

" Why should I listen to you?" Soul grumbled.

"Well it would be questionable if we show up to school together." Maka said simply.

"fine, whatever." soul sighed leaning back on the chair.

"And if you don't show up to school, there will be hell to pay." Maka glared holding book threateningly in the doorway.

"Whatever albarn whatever." Soul sighed.

Maka sat in Dr. steins room with Tsubaki, idly talking to pass the time until class started. Every so often she would glance at the door to see if Soul would walk in. Time had passed and still no sign of Soul, Maka began to get angry she should of made him leave first. Black Star and Kid had already came into the room and sat in their respective new seats next to their partners. Maka had given up on all hope of him getting there. She placed her head on her arms closing her eyes for the last few seconds before the bell rang, though she shot up when someones deep voice startled her.

"Yo, Black Star." Soul said sliding into the seat next to Maka and a few seats away from Black Star.

"Yo! Soul! You came! Afraid to be without this big star?" Black Star laughed boisterously.

"Sure whatever man." Soul said sitting in his chair and staring at the wall with a bored expression.

Makas dad walked into the room, and silently maka hoped he wouldn't say anything. Soul though he probably would never say it also wished that he wouldn't say anything to him. Fear washed through Maka when she thought of what he could say.

"I hope he doesn't say anything about me and Soul living together." Maka mumbled under her breath

"If your dad says something about us, I am leaving this room." Soul whispered to Maka "I don't want to be seen with someone like you."

Maka had a furious reply on her tongue, but kept it to herself when she reminded herself of the scene she would cause, and what could happen to her school reputation.

"I could say the same thing about you." Maka glared back.

Soul just sent her a glare that could of sent shivers down her spine if she wasn't so mad at him.

"Oh, Spirit, what brings you to my class today? Interested in a dissection?" Stein asked happily.

'I hope my Maka gets to see how cool im being!' Spirit thought happily as he looked over at his daughter and winked, then he walked out into the hall.

Maka groaned and covered her face with her hands. "Why me?" she asked.

Soul just laughed at her and how her dad acted. They sure were good entertainment.

Stein walked back in a moment later without any major tells or hints on his face as to what had just occurred outside.

Maka gave up trying to figure out and waited for Stein to hopefully begin teaching.

"Ah today class is just going to be a simple quiz on your compatibility with your new partners…" Marie began walking back into the room and composing herself.

'Should be simple enough…" Soul sighed in his mind.

"Yes, yes and if you fail the compatibility test, you get new partners." Dr. Stein smiled wickedly. "And we'll pick whomever we want."

Though the words were meant to make them fear the test or worry of their results 2 people in the room were thinking something different.

'If we arent compatible then I wont have him as my partner!" Maka thought happily.

'If I answer this correctly ill be free of albarn, perfect." Soul thought smirking to himself

Stein smirked to himself and continued smoking on his cigarette, while staring at the blank ceiling as if he was pondering something important.

Black Star looked at his quiz and had to fight the urge to laugh aloud to himself. This test was simple!

He looked at one of the questions: 'Do you consider yourself a leader or an example to others?' With a large smile on his face he scribbled down the answer in large capital letters.

Tsubaki was a little unsure of herself as she wrote down her answers, she didn't love black star but they were friends and It was a lot better choice than It could have been. She thought over one of her answers: 'are you willing to follow someone else, but make a sacrifice at the right time?" After a moments pause she wrote down the answer yes.

Maka resisted the feeling of smiling in triumph soul was definitely not her partner after this if she knew anything she was definitely his polar opposite. She hurriedly answered another question: 'Your partner leaves what do you do?" She scribbled down, 'do what I can to get them back or fight by myself'

Her last question was: "Your partner and you have trouble working as a team during a mission what do you do, even if this choice caused harm?" This one required a little thought, she pondered for a moment and then put down 'make it work no matter the consequences.'

Soul sighed as he looked at his half answered paper. He really hated this but hey, he couldn't really do anything about it right? He was eventually going to have to take this dumb thing. He looked at the first question: 'Are you willing to do anything to protect your partner?' Soul sighed again, he hated things like this, and truthfully though he usually doesn't give a damn about anyone things like this were different. After a bit of thought he circled the yes answer.

His next question was a bit of trouble for him to think about: 'if your partner helped you achieve something great would you leave them for another partner?' Soul tapped his pencil on his desk, what would the benefits be? He thought. A new person who doesn't know you or someone who your obviously good with. He then circled the No answer darkening it several times.

As everyone finished and passed in their tests, they were free to talk with their friends. Maka however pulled out a large book and began reading.

"Maka…you never change." Tsubaki laughed as she turned to talk to liz and patti.

Soul glanced at maka out of the corner of his eye. She was sure a boring girl all she did was read. Soul put his head on his arms and slept again, theres nothing better to do in school anyway.

The rest of the day carried on without much of a change, Maka and Ox fought for the top spot as usual. Tsubaki watched hoping nothing would happen, Liz and Patti did anything besides pay attention to the lesson. Death the Kid was still trying to write his name symmetrically, Black Star kept on making speeches about himself and Soul slept for most of the day.

All in all it was a pretty normal day.

As the school day ended the first of Soul and Maka's housing problems began.

"Maka do you think the girls and I can go to your place?" Liz asked throwing her arm around Makas shoulder.

Maka immediately tensed and cast a worried look to soul, who shrugged in return. She paused trying to think of an response.

"Oh yea soul! Me and Kidd are coming over today!" Black Star cheered.

Soul froze up, this was not a good situation.

"See ya at your house Soul!" Black Star yelled as he and Kidd ran off.

"We'll be there in a bit!" Liz yelled to Maka dragging Tsubaki and Patti with her.

"This is not good." Maka said to Soul as the rest of their group left.

"shit what are we gonna do?" Soul grumbled.\

"I don't know." Maka sighed

"Well lets go we were gonna have to face this eventually." Soul sighed.

"I guess so." Maka said as she and Soul began walking to their house. A sudden thought hit maka, they had had a civil conversation without killing each other…things were definitely changing.

*Liz, Patti, and Tsubaki*

The three girls all walked up to Maka's house, Liz rang the doorbell but to her surprise no one answered.

"try again." Tsubaki suggested.

"Again! Again!" Patti cheered as they had failed for the fourth time.

An old lady who lived next door walked up to them.

"All you looking for Maka?" The old lady asked.

"Yes do you know why she isn't answering?" Tsubaki asked.

"That'd be because she doesn't live there anymore." The lady shrugged.

"What?" The girls yelled.

"Well were is she?" Liz asked.

"Heres her address at the moment." The old lady said walking off and handing them a slip of paper.

"Ooh lets go!" Patti cheered, taking the address and running off.

*Death the kidd and Black Star*

"Heres souls house!" Black Star yelled

"You mean apartment." Kidd corrected.

"Whatever don't tell this big star what to say." Black Star mumbled walking into soul apartment.

Inside Soul and Maka were nothing short of freaking out, as soon as she had heard the voices Maka did a quick dive for her room, just in time too seeing as, as soon as she got inside Black Star and Kid walked in.

Soul was inwardly happy that they evaded that problem.

Maka sighed in relief as she sat In her floor this was going to be a very very troublesome time for them

Down the hall, Liz Patti and Tsubaki were confused as to why Black Star and Kid walked into makas house.

Unsurely the girls opened the door. Only to find an empty room.

"Must be the apartment next door. That's probably where they stopped." tsubaki shrugged.

"I'm guessing." Liz sighed.

Makaaa! Makaaa!" Patti yelled looking for her friend.

"Oh hey guys!" Maka said hurriedly pulling them all into her room, just as Soul and the others walked out of the other room. Just as Soul was walking out and she was going in she gave him a small smile. So far nothing too bad had happened.

About 20 minutes later everything had gone of without a hitch until, Liz and Black Star walked into each other.

"AH!" Liz screamed.

"Whats wrong?" Maka said as she rushed out of the room only to be met with the confused faces of Kid, Black Star, Liz, patti and Tsubaki. "oh."

"I went to go to the bathroom and I run into him! And what are they all doing here?" Liz asked.

"Ugh that's just great." Soul sighed.

"Soul I thought you said that Black star and Kid would use the bathroom over there and id get the one over here?" Maka asked.

"Hey, I told him to. Not my fault hes an idiot." Soul sighed.

"Hey the great me is no idiot!" Black star yelled.

"Ah Soul by the way…" Kid began.

"What?" Soul asked impatiently.

"Whats in that room?" He asked pointing to a door.

"Oh that…:" Soul began.

"Its my room." Maka sighed.

"Wait? What?" The rest of the group yelled. Maka and Soul just sighed.

"Let me explain." Maka continued. "My dad is leaving on a trip and some law says I have to live with another person and soul here lived by himself in an apartment owned by the school so I was moved here."

"Oh I see." Tsubaki nodded.

"Makes sense." Kidd decided

The rest of the group nodded in agreement

The night went by fine, and the whole group decided to watch movies until the rest had to leave. With a lot of hugs and goodbyes, Liz Patti Tsubaki Kidd and Black Star were gone.

Maka walked to her room but paused by the door for a second.

"Um Soul?" She asked quietly.

"What?" came his muffled reply from his room.

"goodnight" She said softly

Soul froze, he hadn't heard people talk to him like that since he was little, ever since then its always been an order, or they wouldn't say it at all.

"ah yea night." He said back to her as he heard her door click shut.

Soul rubbed his hands over his face, he did not like all these flashbacks he was getting of his family

The rest of the week went by pretty much the same. Soul and Maka still left at different times, they still fought and argued in class, and everyone else seemed to be keeping the secret pretty well.

Though they had no idea what was going on that day.

It all started when Makas dad entered the room to make an announcement.

"What is he doing here!" Maka whispered angrily to those around her.

"I don't know hes your dad." Soul sighed leaning back in his chair.

"Calm down maka." Tsubaki said.

"Hello maka my beloved daughter." Spirit said pointing at the blonde girl.

There were gasps heard around the room, as people realized that the rumors weren't rumors anymore.

"Shut up papa." Maka grumbled.

"Maka! You are just like your mama!" Spirit said happily.

Spirit froze as he realized what he had just said. Soul realized that Maka had stiffened as well. Just what had happened to them?

"Papa." Maka began coldly. "Be quiet,"

No one except for soul and Tsubaki seemed to notice how close to crying makas voice had sounded, Tsubaki sent him a worried glance and Soul just shrugged and turned around.

"Well Spirit once again, to what do we owe this pleasure?" Stein asked spinning in his chair.

"Just here to make an announcement." Spirit sighed. "The 'test' partners that have been assigned to this class, are going to start being sent out on missions, the rate of kishin souls that have been popping up is too high. Starting next week you're all viable for field work."

Ending Quote: "Every exit is an entry somewhere." -Tom Stoppard


	4. Begin Again

"_**Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent." ~Victor Hugo**_

_Neither of them wanted to be a team._

_Neither of them wanted to be by each other._

_Neither of them realized how much they'd been deceiving themselves._

Chapter 4: Begin Again.

"Oh Maka, your dad and Shinigami want to see you." Stein said lazily sitting back in his chair.

"Alright" Maka responded dully as she drug her feet out the door, slowly making her way down the halls were the crowds of people were thinning with each passing second, everyone else was eager to get home and get to their lives.

All of her friends; Liz, patti, Tsubaki, Kid, and Black Star had left to go home already throwing their goodbyes over their shoulders. Soul too, had gone with them but he just stalked out of the room his crimson eyes glaring at the floor in front of him.

She rapped on Shinigamis door and walked down the rows of Guillotines

Waiting in the middle of the room, caught up in their own conversation was Shinigami and her father.

"Ah, welcome, welcome maka." Shinigami greeted happily, her father though, for once stayed silent.

'_A nice change' _She thought dryly.

"You wanted to see me?" She asked carefully choosing her tone, so she wouldn't alert the two adults at her feelings of anger, resentment, and her slight feelings of sadness.

Maka shuffled closer to the two of them, feeling slightly out of place and far from where the conversation was happening. It was a feeling she was not unfamiliar with.

"Yes Yes Maka." Shinigami continued. "We just figured you should know that you and Soul might be going on a mission soon, it might be best to start to prepare."

Maka nodded at Shinigami and swept out of the room as she left before her father got a word in.

Soul sat in his room staring absently out the window, holding his instant ramen in his hand. Maka hadn't returned from school yet and in the recent days she had been the one cooking food for them, so he had resorted back to his old ways of eating easy-to-make junk food.

'_Its not like I care what she does.'_

With that thought, Soul turned away from the window and proceeded into the living room where he began to flip through the channels.

It was late when Maka began the slow trudge home, walking slowly as she passed by the various shops and buildings her eyes downcast as she watched her feet. Rain had begun to fall as soon as Maka had left the school, Maka didn't mind the rain per se but she didn't like the memories of her mother they brought up.

Shaking her head, Maka tried to ward off anymore oncoming thoughts of her mother, and the tears she could feel burning behind her eyes.

She glanced up and turned the corner flying up the stairs to the apartment she and soul shared.

Soul stared out the window as he listened half heartedly to the music playing in the background, things lately have been… complicated, he surmised for lack of a better word. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed a light colored flash from down below.

'_Maka?'_

He got up from his bed and made his way into the living room where she'd end up in just a few seconds.

Maka herself was a wreck, was the first thing he noticed as she slammed to door open and shut once again. Her hair had fallen out of her loose pigtails, her clothes were slightly messed up her face was flushed, she was pretty soaked and she looked as if she was about to cry at any given moment.

'_shit, what I am supposed to do?' _Soul thought irritably, comforting girls had never been his forte.

"Not. A. Word." Maka said softly, her voice wavering only proving soul's theory on her emotional state and the tears that he really hoped didn't fall anytime soon.

Soul shut his mouth, kind of thankful that he didn't have to say anything to the girl to comfort her. But he nodded and started walking back to his room, leaving Maka in the kitchen.

When she had seen him go into his room, Maka finally raised her head from the downcast position it had been in earlier. When she was completely sure she was alone in that room, she began to cry as she slumped down onto the couch burying her face in her hands.

She hated being so vulnerable, hell, before this she barely ever let people see her cry, she barely even cried. Now everyday it seemed as if she was fighting the never ending onslaught of tears and Soul, Soul always was there out of the corner of her eyes she had known he'd seen her cry the first day that she had lived here.

Her sobs were steadily growing louder and she tried to keep them under control for fear that soul would hear her.

In his room, soul leaned against the door, he could hear her crying from where he stood, but he wondered what exactly could he do? Hell why did she have to cry, tears were so not cool, and it was Maka, the girl who he had hated. The girl who hated him, so why was the old relationship disappearing already? He ran a hand through his hair and opened his door.

Things were so much easier when they hated each other.

They may not have been the best of friends…or friends at all, but Soul was not a person who'd leave a girl alone crying on a couch.

Maka curled into a ball and rocked herself a bit, trying to calm herself, but every time she'd try and stop a new wave of tears would hit her and she'd be back at square one.

A choked gasp escaped her lips when she felt the couch shift under someones weight next to her, slowly and almost unsurely an arm was put around her shoulders as she still cried, she didn't need to look up to know it was Soul, he was the only other person in the house but still she couldn't help but feel a little better as his hands moved in circles along her back, trying to she guessed comfort her.

Well, it was working.

Soul was a little relieved when he could hear the sobs die down a little as he joined her, he really had no clue what he was doing or even if he was helping, but at least he was doing something.

He help back a sharp intake of breath when, a flurry of blonde attacked his chest, he looked down and saw Maka firmly attached to his waist and she cried into his shoulder. He sighed inaudibly and let her cry, there was nothing left he could do.

He could guess she didn't like this situation at all, so when her sobs had stopped and both people got up from the couch he just gave her a nod and headed back to her room and spared her any comments he had on the topic.

The next morning, Soul awoke to a small breakfast on his table and a note from Maka telling him she'd already left for school. A short while later he of course was on his was to school also. Seemingly forgetting about the 'test' they were to have a school that day, and how it just might severely change their lives even more than what had happened the day before.

Soul walked into their homeroom and slumped into his chair next to Maka, he placed his head on his arms and sighed. He cast his glimpse over to the blonde haired girl to the right of him, maka herself also had her arms making a pillow for her head. From where he sat he could somewhat make out the slight movement of her lips which signaled him that she was mumbling to herself. He raised his head slightly, ever since the night before, maka had been acting strangely, he figured it had something to do with the reasons for her breakdown the night before. But, Soul figured it was too much trouble to deal with it so he left the topic alone, and didn't intend on bringing it back up.

"Ah Maka-chan, are you okay?" Tsubaki asked worriedly, Liz and Patti also throwing concerned glances in the general direction of Maka and Tsubaki.

"Oh I'm fine I'm fine." Maka laughed sitting up forcing a smile onto her face. "Just a little tired I guess."

"Oh ok that's good. We were worried." Tsubaki smiled.

"Looks like Soul's out also." Liz commented dryly from down the row.

"Ha! He's asleep! Let's draw on his face!" Patti cheered uncapping several colorful markers.

With that being said Soul's blood red eyes shot open and cast a glare at the younger of the Thompson sisters.

"Don't even think about it." He glared sitting up some.

"Never fear! I the great black star is here! I shall not let them color on your face!" Black Star yelled leaping atop his desk.

"B-black star please sit down. People are staring" Tsubaki said trying to get the blue haired boy off his desk.

"It is to no avail. He wont come down for quite sometime." Kidd sighed impatiently. "But try anyway he's throwing off the balance of the room!"

"Ha ha! Look all the people here have noticed I have surpassed god! Look how they stare at me in awe!" Black Star said as he misinterpreted the stares of his classmates. Yes they were staring in awe but not for the reasons he expected, or wanted.

Maka, Tsubaki, Liz, Kidd, and Soul sighed and tried to ignore black star from that point on until he got off the desk, meanwhile patti laughed and cheered him on.

Black Star was finally off the desk and in his seat was Stein walked into the room, with a very annoyed expression on his face, and once the attention of his classmates was lost and a few threatening things said to him by Stein and Kidd and Soul he slowly and stubbornly slumped back into his chair.

"Oh maka and soul," Stein drawled from his position by the blackboard his piece of chalk dangling idly in his grip.

"What do you need?" Maka asked politely.

"yea what is it?" Soul grumbled.

"I have a message to the two of you from Maka's father." Stein said not sparing the 2 teens a glance. "Now what was it…"

Maka and Soul sent each other a worried glance.

The other groups of kids in the room, mumbled quietly to themselves waiting in suspense to hear what the news was.

"Oh well ill remember later." Stein shrugged starting to write something on the black board.

Maka sighed in relief and Soul put his head back onto his arms.

As Stein was halfway through his word he made a loud noise sounding oddly close to 'Aha' and faced Soul and Maka once again, who sat up straight and tense as they waited for what ever it was he had to say.

"I remember what Spirit said." Stein sang. He walked a little bit closer to them as if he didn't want the rest of the class to know the news.

"He wanted me to tell you two that soul better not hurt his dear maka while she living at you apartment and something about maka staying away from evil men and something about a resemblance…" Stein trailed off thoughtfully.

Soul and Maka blanched and felt all the color drain out of their face and they turned towards each other matching looks of mortification and horror of their faces.

Kidd, Tsubaki, Black Star, Liz, and Patti tried to hold in their laughter since they had already found out the news.

Maka buried her face in her hands as she heard the whispering of her classmates.

'_Can you believe they are living together?'_

'_Do you think they are dating?"_

"_shes so lucky!"_

" _I thought they hated each other?"_

"_Wonder what brought that on?"_

"_what a slut I can't believe her."_

Maka felt her face flush in embarrassment as she heard the comments especially the last one, she wanted to go lie in a ditch somewhere, or leave the room, she was so embarrassed that people now knew of her situation and she inwardly freaked about her reputation.

"Heh, no way someone like that can ever make top spot and beat me!" Maka heard someone say, and the voice she undoubtedly knew belonged to Ox Ford.

She hid her face in her hands and warded off the onslaught of tears she could feel in her eyes.

"Its ok Maka. Don't listen to them." Tsubaki reassured the girl.

"Don't worry about it, it will pass." Liz commented.

"It isn't a thing to worry that much over." Kid said shrugging his shoulders.

Black Star and Patti unable to think of anything to comfort her just nodded furiously along with the statements.

Soul sighed, as Stein walked back things were never simple were they. To him the news was no big deal and he could live with the rumors since none were bad about him, but maka…had some worse ones. His eyes slid over to her as her took in her embarrassed face, as her friends tried to reassure her this wasn't the apocalypse. He sighed.

"Don't give a damn what they say, they arent important." Soul said in a bored tone catching all of his friends attention and Maka's who had finally got her head out of her hands and was staring wide eyed at him.

He returned her stare for a second before turning away.

"Sorry about that, but thanks guys." Maka smiled facing her friends.

Maka straightened her back and faced the board, but not before her ears caught a few more whispers.

"_Oh yea they are definitely dating."_

"_She doesn't deserve him."_

"_Does no one recall when they hated each other? What happened to that?"_

This time Maka just tuned them out and steeled her will, determined to concentrate on the lesson.

"Alright class alright." Stein said turning around to face the class before him. "Tonight we have something… special planned for you."

He paced around the room walking up and down the rows of the classroom, earning questioning glances from almost every kid in the room.

"Tonight is the, weapon and meister ceremony were you will pick your new partners, but only based on the compatibility of your souls." He stopped front of Soul who gave him a half hearted tired glare. "And attendance is mandatory Mr. Soul Eater Ev-"

Soul glared daggers at Stein, he didn't under no circumstance want people to remember his last name, all that brought was his old complexes back and remind him of his old life and then they'd make the connection between him and his piano playing and he wasn't ready to play for people.

'_Though there was that one girl,' _Soul thought reminiscing on the one person who hadn't judged him on his last name and his piano abilities or compared him to his brother. _'I wonder who she is…'_

He shook the thought out of his head and begrudgingly concentrated on what Stein was talking about.

"oh I almost forgot!" Stein shouted making the class jump. "Soul Perception."

"Um what?" most of the kids in the class responded.

"The ability to see and sense other people souls, and besides Shinigami's son there is another person with this unique ability." Stein smirked.

"I wonder who?" Tsubaki mused.

"Who knows." Maka whispered back.

"Know I want everyone in the room to concentrate on trying to sensing the presences of those around you." Stein spoke.

Angered groans were heard around the class as many people failed but a quick gasp on souls side caused him to whip his head around to his side. Maka was sitting wide eyed looking around the room quickly as if she'd seen something that shocked her.

"Ah, Ah I see that our little maka-chan has found her ability." Stein chuckled.

More murmurs about her circled around the classroom, she really didn't like all this attention though she was well liked she'd rather blend into the background.

Later on that night, Soul and Maka walked quietly to the school, walking farther away from each other than most people would of walked. Once they were in the school they immediately separated.

Maka had many people walk up to her and ask to be partners, but all ended in failure, they had tried to see if they were compatible but none so far were close enough, she could almost be partners with Tsubaki but, she had already found a person.

Earlier Black Star had put on a show to see if anyone would be acceptable enough to be his partner, in the end everyone had walked away from him except Tsubaki, and when they had tried to see if they were compatible, they were almost a perfect match.

"Why him?" Maka asked.

"He's interesting. We're also really compatible…" Tsubaki smiled.

"Eh, I havent found any one yet…" Maka sighed.

"You'll find someone." Tsubaki said as she walked away to join black star.

'_I bet Soul's already found someone…'_ Maka thought sourly, with his personality, he'd find someone easily.

As maka walked through the halls of Shibusen she heard a faint melody, that sounded oddly familiar in her head.

'_that's…that's the song Soul was playing the first time I met him!' _With this thought Maka dashed down the hallways searching for the source of the noise, she happened upon a small room with a ebony piano. _'so nostalgic…'_

Soul knew that he had told himself he wasn't going to play anymore once he got here, but he had found the piano as he walked and it had called to him. So he sat and he played. He was aware of a person behind him, and to him this scene was oddly familiar.

As the footsteps progressed farther in the room he began playing a darker more twisted tune, hoping to scare them off. But to his surprise they stayed.

"I liked it." A light feminine voice said after a moments pause.

'_Maka?' _Soul thought wildly, if this scene was exactly like the one when he had moved here than Maka was…

"Yea, so? The song describes me." Soul said.

'_yea, ill just scare her off.'_

"I still liked it." Maka shrugged as he spun around on the piano bench to face her. "So find a partner yet?"

"No."

"Oh. Me neither." Maka sighed.

Soul sat there stiffly, he really didn't want to be the one to suggest it.

"Do you want to be my partner?" Maka asked after awhile.

"You think were compatible?" He snorted.

"It's worth a shot." Maka defended.

"Fine." Soul agreed gruffly.

The two of them sent out their wavelengths and were shocked to find that they were compatible.

"So I guess were partners…" Maka gave a self conscious laugh.

"I guess, besides at least your not as annoying as the others…" Soul said turning his head away.

Maka gave a short laugh. "You know this is like the first time I ever saw you, your music sorta fascinated me…"

"What?" Soul asked perplexed, then was she…?

"Yea right when you moved here, and you played the piano it was the first time I saw you and I heard you play it was sorta the same song as you just played, but I like it." Maka smiled.

"So that was you, man I knew it." Soul said sending her a small smirk that almost resembled a smile

After they shared a small eye lock they both erupted in laughter and started on their way home.

Later that week, after that had completed their first mission and retrieved their first soul, the 2 of them had realized that slowly, their old bonds of hate were slowly turning into friendship.

And they had figured out that along the way they didn't hate the company of each other anymore. They were sort of comfortable with it.

_Both of them knew that they were a team now._

_Both of them knew that things weren't ever going to be the same._

_Both of them couldn't disagree with the fact that they weren't entirely unhappy._

"_**A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. " ~Maya Angelou**_


	5. no takebacks

**Just a Word Chapter 5. **

"_**You cant unfire a gun." ~Unknown.**_

_Present:_

Blood.

Its all she could see, all she could smell, hell she could even taste it. Its everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. She could feel it matted in her hair, all over her gloves, on her clothes. Wide eyed with fright she sits trembling staring at the blood that covers, no coats, the ground and all that her wide eyes are taking in at the moment. At this point she can no longer tell whose it is; hers, the enemies, her partners, the people who were murdered here shortly before they came, all she knows is that nothing is clean anymore, dead bodies litter the floor around her, distantly she can hear the fighting but her eyes lock on to a figure, the only sign that they're still alive is the barely perceptible rise and fall of his chest.

Her heart clenches in fear, all she can see now is the gaping wound slashed across his chest and the blood spilling out of the wound, his face getting paler and paler. She scrambles closer to him.

"Wake up, wake up wake up." She chants, covering the wound with her discarded jacket and slightly moving the figure to try and wake them. "Please don't die. Please."

The breathing seems to have stopped. And it is at that exact moment when she lets out and earsplitting scream. Unaware of the steady cadence of footsteps behind her. Slowly approaching.

_2 days ago. _

Maka slowly woke up that morning, staring out at the morning sun just rising over the horizon. Things with her and soul had been better than usual, they had become more tolerant of each other.

Maka arose from her bed, and began her morning routines. Across the hall Soul began the same tasks, very similar to one another. Once everything was all finished the two of them got on souls motorcycle and headed towards school. Since everyone already knew of the fact that they lived together there was no point in going to school separately.

"Hello Maka." Tsubaki smiles upon maka and Soul entry into the room.

"Oh hey Tsubaki." Maka greeted her friend. Soul gave an acknowledging nod towards the smiling dark haired girl.

" What's up?" Tsubaki asked.

"Oh um nothing really." maka shrugged.

"I can see whats going on between you guys." Tsubaki said her grin widening.

"W-what do you mean?" Maka asked incredulously

"You and Soul." Tsubaki said refraining from yelling out. "I can see how much more comfortable together you two are. No more fighting, riding together on his motorcycle, living in the same apartment."

Maka felt a blush creep onto her cheeks. Sure she and Soul had been better around each other but that doesn't mean that she still-

"Oh. My. God! Maka! You still love him!" Tsubaki said excitedly her voice rising causing everyone in their row to look over at them which to maka's displeasure was all of their friends.

Liz quickly left Kids side and made a beeline towards Maka and Tsubaki with Patti in tow, laughing the whole way.

"Makas like a guy?" Kid asked, his eyes widening fractionally. He knew most of the girls in their class like someone but with Maka it always seems like she wouldn't be one of those girls.

"Ohoho! Maka likes someone?" Black Star laughed. The whole idea to him was just…laughable.

Soul stared at her for a second, with an eyebrow cocked. He then turned away, it wasn't his business what maka did with people or who she liked. It wasn't as if they were that great of friends or anything. They merely tolerated each other, and each others presence in their daily lives. No matter, what the topic was, if it was about her, he would turn a blind eye towards it. It was easier for him, because when he did think about her a painful twist happened in his chest, and there was something familiar about her presence that irked him, he knew her from somewhere thought that place was still locked away in his mind.

Maka quickly hushed her friend, before anymore attention was drawn to them.

"No, no, no." Maka said quickly. "I don't. not at all."

Liz and Tsubaki looked a little sad. They of course had hoped for something more, something good. Something gossip worthy.

"Maka, Soul." Stein said motioning for them with his hands. The aforementioned people shared a quick confused glance with each other before getting up and heading to the front of the room.

"What do you need Stein?" maka asked upon walking to his desk.

"You two are needed in Shinigamis room." Stein said rolling around in his chair.

"Ah um ok." Maka said unsurely starting to turn away.

"Maka lets go." Soul said impatiently already waiting for her at the arch of the doorway.

"Oh coming, coming." Maka said as she sped walked out of the classroom.

"Wonder what that was about?" Tsubaki said to herself.

Soul and Maka walked in silence to Shinigamis room.

Maka mulled over the thoughts in her head. Did she still like Soul? Why did Shinigami want them? Weren't Shinigami and her father gone? Sure she and Soul were at better terms now, but did she still have feelings for him?

' _I cant…still like him can I?' _maka thought to herself. _'no, no I don't. now were partners and nothing more. Friends at the most.' _

Soul turned a irritated glance over at his partner. She seemed to be caught up in her thoughts. Frankly, he didn't even know why it annoyed him, but it did.

"Just chill out maka." Soul grumbled, his red eyes straying back to the floor in front of him.

Maka's head shot up and she whipped it to his direction. "Chill out?" She echoed. "Im totally fine." She said getting angrier.

"Sure you are. You're totally freaking out since we got called to the office." Soul smirked.

Maka faltered for a second, but smiled to herself a bit, so he hadn't heard what she and Tsubaki were talking about, and so he didn't know just what she was stressing over.

Maka smirked dangerously and Soul's smirk fell, he didn't like that look.

"Maka" She began her smirk forming into a full blown grin. "Chop."

Soul laid in the hallway clutching his head as Maka walked away putting away her book, which had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Shinigami?" Maka called out once entering his room.

"He's not even here, so not cool." Soul grumbled.

"here here!" A cheerful voice called.

Maka and Soul swung their heads and saw Shinigami in a mirror. Both were shocked and curious of how exactly how he got in their. But they just passed it off, it _was_ Shinigami after all.

"What did you want Shinigami?" Maka asked politely.

"Ah yes, well with your successful gathering of the murderer Jack the Ripper, we have decided to send you on another mission to destroy the kishin soul of Sonson J." Shinigami said his tone turning serious.

"Yes." Maka smiled.

"I guess." Soul shrugged walking off pulling maka along with him.

"Ah, Soul, Maka, you leave tomorrow, and be careful, I know you both excel in your training but the witch medusa has had some reported activity around there, either her or some of her subordinates might be there." Shinigami said as the two neared the door.

"yea yea." Soul grumbled.

Maka nodded cheerfully as she and Soul headed back to Steins room. Once they entered Stein gave them a knowing nod and turned back to the board.

Late that night, maka lay in her bed, to nervous to sleep. This mission worried her slightly. Later she would fall asleep, but she would still remembered the foreboding feelings that rested in the pit of her stomach. Soul, like her, was having trouble falling asleep, the same feeling of worry in his stomach.

The next morning the bell toned monotonously as Tsubaki, Liz, Patti, Kid and Black Star sat in their seats everyone noticed the absence of Soul and Maka.

"Where'd they go?" Tsubaki asked those around her.

"I don't know. Its not like Maka to miss." Liz shrugged.

"It is odd for her to be gone…" Kid thought aloud.

"Ohoho little stars will always come back to this big star!" Black Star laughed. Patti laughed along with him in the background.

"Ah yes Soul and Maka wont be here today. They were sent on a mission." Stein smiled upon walking in the room. Tsubaki blanched a bit, missions were still relatively new to them and still very dangerous. It was an understatement to say she was worried for her friends safety.

"Don't be worried they'll be just fine its only a mission." Kid sighed seeing Tsubakis stressed look.

Patti gave a short laugh. "They'll do fine!"

"Y-yea your right." Tsubaki sighed.

"Tsubaki." a voice to her right intoned seriously. Tsubaki had to fight to keep her face neutral and not have her jaw drop in shock, it had been Black Star who was talking to her. "Its Soul and Maka have faith in them."

Tsubaki smiled at him and said a quiet thank you. She didn't see this side of Black Star that often, it was refreshing and she felt some odd tug in her chest. The tug pulled even more when Black Star glanced over at her flashed her a wide grin and gave her a thumbs up.

Tsubaki tried to calm her erratic heart rate which had quickened without her knowledge. _'_

'_what is this feeling?' _She thought to herself turning her head away.

Soul and Maka walked silently along the streets of a rural town, searching for signs of their target: Sonson J. A rustle in some nearby bushes brought the pair to high alert Soul transforming into a scythe on reflex. Maka sprinted to the spot where the noise originated from and found their target sitting there sharpening his knife.

"Sonson J. We are here to take your soul as requested by Shinigami." Maka called out startling their target. He made a noise similar to yelling and ran at them. Maka swung Soul in a big loop and ran it right through Sonson side slicing him in half.

Soul grabbed the soul and ate it, a contented smirk on his face afterwards.

"Ah. Lets go." Soul said walking off.

Maka stood frozen to her spot. Her eyes widen in shock and fear. Soul grabbed her arm lightly.

"Maka lets go. We're done."

"No no. We cant leave yet!" Maka yelled running off.

"Where are you going!" Soul yelled irritably running after her. Damn these females and their mood swings.

Maka stopped hurriedly in front of what seemed to be an abandoned building.

"Why are we here?" Soul asked confused. Maka walked up to the door.

"All the people in this building we just killed. By what seems to be a kishin. We have to investigate." maka said seriously.

Soul glanced at her face which was set into a serious expression and she was facing him as if he dared oppose her choice, he sighed. "Alright well look."

The two walked inside and immediately regretted their decisions. The sight was gruesome bodies littered the ground blood was splattered everywhere hardly any surface could have been found with out the red liquid save for a few. A icy fear held onto makas stomach, something was off about this room. Soul had a similar feeling but he felt as though the situation was more foreboding.

"Oh what do we have here? Shibusen dogs sent to investigate the trash?" A harsh voice whispered from the shadows of the room.

Maka and Soul stiffened, turning their heads trying to locate the origination of the voice.

"Shinigami! Bad News! Bad news!" A frazzled female yelled running into Shinigamis office.

Shinigami sighed he and Spirit had just gotten back early from their trip and he had intended on relaxing for the rest of the day.

"Yes?" He asked.

"A report came in" the girl wheezed out of breath. "of sighting of Frey D. Sadoko around the area where soul and maka where hunting for Sonson J. then another sighting was reported to Soul and Maka heading towards Frey's hideout!"

Shinigami stopped what he was doing. This was a dangerous situation. "Send another team out there immediately."

"Yes sir!" The female saluted. "Do you think they'll be fine?" She asked quietly a moment later.

Shinigami could only shrug, this situation was not looking good for them.

Soul transformed back into a scythe and landed neatly in Maka's outstretched hand.

"Who's there!" Maka yelled furious.

A harsh laugh rang out from all around them. "I am Frey D. Sadoko." Maka used her soul perception to try and pinpoint the soul of their enemy. But something was blocking her from seeing it…She could feel the presence but it was impossible to see it like someone had put a veil in front of Frey's soul.

"Soul perception." Frey malevolent voice came again. "Too bad my little gift from Medusa wont let you find me."

'_there has to be a way!' _Maka yelled to herself. There had to be a crack in the shield if only she could find it…

Her thoughts were cut short as Frey came out of the shadows and dashed at the two teens. Maka hurriedly blocked with soul.

Frey jumped backwards and extended her nails.

"What the hell?" Soul yelled from inside the scythe. Maka narrowly dodged the attacks.

'_god damn it. All were doing is dodging. If I want to win I need to attack!" _Maka thought to herself, as she began swinging at Frey.

"Oh. Now your starting to fight! This is going to get good." Frey smirked running again towards the pair.

Almost 20 minutes later Maka, who had obtained quite a few cuts on her arms and legs that were caking new blood over top the blood of the other dead bodies, had been forcing Frey, who still was as unscathed as ever, back when eerie music filtered through the halls. Maka dropped soul to cover her ears as the sound had made it feel like her ear drums were exploding.

Frey took this moment to sharpen her nails and lengthen them and charge at the unsuspecting girl. Maka saw throught half lidded eyes, Frey charging at her but the pain in her head was to great to make a counter attack of even move. She braced her self for the impact but opened her eyes in shock when the music stopped and something splashed against her face. In front of her was familiar white hair blocking her and blood everywhere. As her partner fell to the ground Frey cackled advancing on them about to deal Maka's final blow when 2 more people entered the room and drew Frey's attention away.

"Soul? Why?" Maka asked quietly eyeing the wound on his chest it stretched from his shoulder to his hip, and it was bleeding, badly. She hurriedly removed her jacket and pressed it to his wound hoping to stop the bleeding but it was to no avail.

'Truthfully I don't know why…' soul thought to himself. Not to long ago he would of done anything to get rid of maka, and now here he was saving her life.

"As a weapon its my job to keep you safe." Soul said cracking one eye open to look at her.

Maka shook her head. "We both know that isn't true."

Soul sighed. "I, don't really know why." He paused to try and catch his breath his breathing was becoming more shallow and faster. " Maybe cuz you're my partner."

Maka stared wide eyed at him. Since when did he care about being partners or anything.

"No, partners is just a word. Were friends I guess, thats why." He said shutting his eyes, his voice getting slurred and he was mumbling almost like he was losing conscious, Maka vaguely wondered if this was how people acted before death, out of it, not really understanding what they were saying.

He was silent for a few moments and then his eyes shut and his breathing became shallow, she could barely see it anymore and that's when Maka finally took in her surroundings.

One thing she noticed was;

Blood.

It was all she could smell, it was all she could see besides her possibly dead partner in front of her.

It was everywhere, everywhere, everywhere. She could feel it matted in her hair, all over her gloves, on her clothes. Wide eyed with fright she sat trembling staring at the blood that covers, no coats, the ground and all that her wide eyes are taking in at the moment. At this point she can no longer tell whose it is; hers, the enemies, her partners, the people who were murdered here shortly before they came, all she knows is that nothing is clean anymore, dead bodies litter the floor around her, distantly she can hear the fighting but her eyes stay locked onto the figure or her dying partner she doesn't want to see the rest of the room to see her possibly dead classmates. His breath growing smaller with each minute that passes.

Her heart clenches in fear, all she can see now is the gaping wound slashed across his chest and the blood spilling out of the wound, his face getting paler and paler. She scrambles closer to him.

"Wake up, wake up wake up." She chants slightly moving the figure to try and wake them. "Please don't die. Please."

The breathing seems to have stopped. And it is at that exact moment when Maka lets out and earsplitting scream, she is completely unaware that the fighting has stopped and the only thing else to hear is the steady cadence of footsteps slowly approaching her.

A sharp hand grasped hold of her hair yanking her to her feet. The nails dug into her face and scalp sending beads of blood cascading down her face and onto the already blood covered ground. She was turned sharply around.

"Look at them Shibusen dog. Look at your comrades. All of them dead, now its just you and me." Frey's harsh voice whispered into her ear, a loud static crackle send her falling to the ground as Frey listened to what the other person was saying.

"Ill be back, don't leave because ill be watching you."

Maka couldn't of left if she had tried to she was completely out of energy, she barely had enough to lift her head and look around the room, when she finally did she regretted it. From what she could see all that was left in the room was dead bodies, the bodies of the innocent who were killed, her classmates and most likely her partner. She laid her head back down with a thud.

She was alone all alone, the one thing she had never wanted anymore was back. She hadn't felt this lonely since her mother left her, all alone with her father who was barely ever there. Now she lay the only person, she thought, who was alive in this room. Frey had left with an eerie promise that they'll be back, all the people who were killed before her were littered around the room, the backup team no her classmates had been killed and lay mangled in a corner of the room, and her partner…her friend had been killed and he lay barely a foot away from her.

She was yanked up, again by her hair, and was face to face with Frey who grinned evilly before dragging her out of the abandoned room.

'_If only I had the energy to fight back…'_

Tsubaki, Liz, Patti, Black Star, and Kid all sat around Tsubaki and Black Stars living room drinking tea and just hanging out, seemingly forgetting the real world.

All of a sudden the cup Tsubaki was drinking out of cracked.

"Oh god no." Tsubaki breathed her eyes growing wide, she shared a worried look with Black Star.

"We should clean it up…" Liz said awkwardly.

"Its gonna stain." Patti sang out.

"Tsubaki Black Star?" Kid asked noticing their expressions.

"The cup cracked…" Tsubaki drawled slowly.

"Just get a new one." Liz sighed.

"Its not that." Black Star stated. "Of course the great me understands though."

"What do you mean?" Kid asked.

"Black Star, Maka, and I are all of Japanese descent, or Japanese. In japan when your cup cracks something bad has happened to a friend or family member." Tsubaki said quietly.

"I don't get it." Patti said confusedly.

"You mean Soul and Maka?" Kid asked wide eyed.

Black Star and Tsubaki nodded slowly.

Things were not good.

The next day in class Tsubaki, Kid, Black Star, Liz and Patti all sat quietly most of them looking sleep deprived or actually sleeping. That was until Spirit and Stein walked in quietly talking about something. They had no idea what was happening until a frazzled looking assistant ran in the room.

"Stein! Spirit! Words back about Maka, Soul and the back up team that was sent after them." The assistant all but yelled.

Everyone in the class listened intently on the conversation, though the assistant tried to keep their voice down.

"They were indeed attacked by Frey D. Sadoko, and the place where sadoko was hiding was full of dead bodies, also the back up team we sent was killed."

Collective gasps and whimpers were heard around the room, it was almost unreal some of their classmates were dead?

"Also we found Soul Eater, he's about to be put into the Intensive care unit. He suffered an almost fatal cut from his chest to his shoulder. He would have died if it weren't for the jacket we found pressed to his wound."

Tsubaki and the others felt a little relief so Soul wasn't dead. That was good.

"What of my Maka?" Spirit asked worriedly.

"That's the other bad news, along with Frey D. Sadokos disappearance it seems from the marks on the floor that Maka was taken as well, we have no information on her status right now shes MIA in a few days time if we cant find her, shell be, shell be pronounced KIA."

A wave of despair hit everyone in the room. Though Soul was back, Maka was gone and in a few days she'd most likely be dead.

"_**There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval." **_~_War Shrines_


	6. as the circle comes round

_Just a Word. Chapter 6. As the Circle comes round._

"_Never say goodbye because saying goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting." ~Peter Pan_

* * *

As Maka opened her eyes, she was greeted with hazy pictures. She couldn't make anything out, the only thing she was aware of was pain, lots of it, every cut on her body seemed to be multiplied by 1000 times.

She opened her eyes further and tried to focus on something, anything. The room she was in was too dark to see anything. As she tried to make out a familiar object she heard the quiet footfalls of someone coming. Her fight or flight survival instinct kicked in again, and with a sudden decision Maka pretended to be unconscious and tried to make her breathing and heartbeat as slow as possible. She held in her gasp when the footfalls stopped in front of her and harshly grabbed her and pulled her foreword.

"Ha. I knew it. Not even a little shibusen dog could survive this long. I killed the death scythes precious daughter." Makas ears picked up at that, and she lay in the strangers hold. She couldn't place a face to the voice of her captor, but she dare not open her eyes to find out who It was. "Now for some fun…"

Maka held back a whimper of fear as she was yanked off the hook and dragged mercilessly to somewhere unknown.

**

* * *

**

~~~SHIBUSEN~~~

Spirit paced around the classroom nervously while, the students worked silently on their assignments. Every once in awhile, a student would send him a sympathetic knowing glance. Everyone had heard about Maka and Soul and the fate of the back up team. Now all the students and teachers and even some well informed townspeople waited in bated breath to hear the fate of the missing Maka and the still recovering Soul.

Tsubaki looked worriedly at Spirit. He looked like he hadn't slept in a long time. Though, when she had seen him walk off with an unknown girl yesterday, she was glad Maka wasn't there to see him still fooling around with other women while she may very well be dead.

Tsubaki was cut out of her musings as a foot prodded her leg impatiently. She looked to her right and saw Black Star give her an oddly serious glance.

"Tsubaki." he called. "This is Maka remember, she can do this."

"yea. you're right." Tsubaki smiled. "Its just…it's been almost 2 days now…and no one has seen any sign of her."

A sharp pat on the back make her jump, she turned to her left and saw Patti smiling widely at her. She looked down the row and saw Kid and liz give her small smiles.

'_They're all worrying but they believe in her…I should too!' _Tsubaki thought to herself, sending smiles and small thanks back to her friends.

* * *

When Soul opened his eyes all her saw was and odd mix of black and red swirling around him. He looked around and saw himself floating in the midst of it.

"_where am I?" _he wondered.

"I bet I'm dead." he gave a harsh laugh. He looked down and saw he wasn't standing on anything, he was just there. The last thing he remembered was being on a mission with Maka and being attacked by some person…

"Maka! Hey Maka! Where are you?" Soul called out, finally remembering they had been in a fight.

Soul tried to move around and finally he approached a light off in the distance.

"And now I'm going to really go to heaven or hell" Soul muttered darkly to himself. When he went through the light the image he saw made him immediately regret going this way.

He was in a warehouse, and all around him was blood. Off in the distance he could hear the harsh laughter quickly receding. There was dead bodies littered all around the room. Most were mutilated badly, some weren't even recognizable in the fact that they used to be human. He saw a figure moving further up, curled into a ball on the ground, red blood pooling beneath them.

"O-oi," Soul called unsurely. "Are you okay?"

He poked the figure in the side. The body fell over and Soul eyes widened and he felt his heart drop into the pit of his stomach as he froze in place.

In contrast to the _(redredred) _blood that covered the floor and the bodies and everything in between, the eyes and hair stood out the most. His own _(redredred) _eyes bore into blank, dull, and lifeless olive green eyes. He knew those eyes anywhere, he went to school with them, worked with them, partnered with them, hell, he was almost friends with them, he knew them anywhere. The hair only furthered his assumption, the ash blonde hair was quickly darkening to the color of red wine spilt onto a white rug, and soon the former color would be impossible to distinguish from the blood that now stained it.

"Maka?" He asked in vain, still hoping he receive and answer, or a well deserved Maka-chop.

He looked back at her eyes, which had grown completely dull and hazy, before him, his partner lay dead. Maka was dead and he wasn't there to help.

But then he noticed the figure at her side and he couldn't stop himself from double taking. The hair on the figures head was turning from white to red as the seconds ticked by, and the all too familiar red eyes stared back at him.

"W-wes?" Soul said unsurely. But them he took in the persons features, the figure next to Maka was not his brother…it was him.

Soul sank to his knees, this wasn't right. Nothing made sense anymore. He felt himself fall over and collide with the cold floor, and slowly he sank into a black oblivion.

* * *

Black Star wandered up to the front of the room impatiently, he was done with all this waiting, all these depressing thoughts, no one even smiled any more. Besides him, and he hated it. He wanted all the people in his life to smile again.

Because, what kind of God was he, if none one smiled?

"We want to go." Black Star said getting nose to nose with Spirit. He could hear all of his classmates gasp and look at him. He inwardly beamed, all the attention was on him.

"Go where?" Spirit asked dangerously.

"We want to go help find Maka." Black Star said smugly. He could feel everyone's stares on his back. Oh god, how he loved that feeling.

"Absolutely not." Spirit retorted.

"Why not?" Black Star yelled. "Shes just as important to us as she is to you!"

"No! We will not allow anyone to go!" Spirit yelled back advancing on Black Star.

Black Star had his fists up ready to fight when he felt limbs hold him back. He looked and saw Tsubaki holding him back.

"Black Star don't fight, please." Tsubaki pleaded.

"But Tsubaki! When need to go help Maka!" Black Star said exasperated.

"I know but we cant! I want find Maka as much as you do!" Tsubaki cried burying her face into his back.

Black Star's shoulders slumped. "Fine. I wont fight him." Black star sent a glare at Spirit instead.

Tsubaki silently thanked him as they headed back to their seats. Spirit sent them a questioning glance as he watched them walk away. He thought over something for a second and then walked out of the class. Leaving all of his students staring curiously at the door.

A mere 15 minutes later, an announcement for Death the Kid, Liz, Patti, Tsubaki and Black Star was called for them to meet in Shinigami's room. They stood up and looked at each other curiously before walking out of the room, everyone watching their back.

They walked along the red guillotined hallway until they saw Spirit and Shinigami awaiting them at the end of the hallway.

"Ah yes, come here come here." Shinigami said happily as they entered the room.

"Hello Father." Kid said bowing.

"Ah hello Kid! So adorable today!" Shinigami laughed.

"Get on with it! What do you want?" Black Star said impatiently.

"Ok ok," Shinigami sighed. "Spirit here, has told me of your…request."

"ohoho," Black Star laughed but was quickly shushed by the others.

"W-what about it?" Liz asked unsurely.

"Spirit here is going to be taking a group to search for Maka," Shinigami said. "The group I assigned him is you all."

"Cool! Really?" Patti yelled excitedly.

"YooHoo!" Black Star yelled happily " I knew it!"

Tsubaki and Liz just gave small smiles, as Kid nodded his head approvingly.

"Well your all leaving today so I suggest you all go and get ready to leave." Shinigami said chuckling.

"You got it! The great me will come back with Maka!" Black Star yelled jumping off, Tsubaki in tow.

"You can count on us father." Kid agreed walking off with Liz and Patti flanking each side.

* * *

Soul opened his eyes blearily, and was met with hazy pictures, a bright light above him.

'_I'm not dead?' _he thought confusedly…but all the blood everywhere…

Soul barely caught snippets of peoples conversations above him, and the monotonous beeping just wouldn't stop.

"_Too much blood loss!"_

_-Beep-_

"_We're losing him!" _

_-Beep-_

"_Get the doctor!" _

_-Beep-_

"_Has Maka been found yet?"_

_-Beep-_

As Soul fell back into unconsciousness his last coherent thought was, "Maka's not dead?"

* * *

Tsubaki looked out the window of the car she was currently in, all around her, her friends did things to busy themselves; Patti was laughing at kid who was freaking out over how unsymmetrical the car was, Liz was trying to paint her nails but eventually gave up and them settled for brushing her hair, and Black Star of course was asleep head bobbing every so often.

She turned back to the window her heart wouldn't stop beating erratically, she wanted to find Maka so bad, she need her best friend back.

They arrived at the rural ghost town where Maka and Soul were last scene, where a back up team was killed, where Soul was found inches from death, where Maka hopefully was still somewhere here. Hours later they all got out of the car, it was around mid-afternoon, they had a couple hours to search for Maka, if she wasn't found today, she would be pronounced dead.

* * *

Maka felt her body hit the stone cold ground below her, and her ribs screamed in protest as pain exploded throughout her body. But she bit her lip as she could hear her captors laugh just above her.

"Good bye Shibusen dog, you'll never catch and you couldn't catch Frey D. Sadoko, and now I'm going to leave you here to die. Maybe your friends will find your cold dead body one day not like they care enough to search for you." Frey laughed, Maka could hear Frey's steps disappear and her soul disappeared from Maka soul perception and she could safely assume Frey was gone. With the name in her mind, Maka was able to recall all of what had happened, to her, the back up team and to soul.

She opened her eyes and looked around trying to find something anything to tell her where she was. It was dark out, the buildings around her flowed into one another and became shapes and blobs. Up ahead she could see a small alcove by a building, a good spot for her to hide out.

Maka tried to stand and bit her lip from crying out in pain. But she hurt so bad, her legs were bruised, her rib was broken, and her head hurt with a searing pain that made her stop for a second to rest. She gave up on the attempt to walk and settled for trying to crawl there, when she tried to crawl she legs hurt from the pressure so she was going to drag herself as her last resort.

'_I have to make it to safety" _Maka thought determinedly.

She began to drag herself, and felt pain explode in her left hand, all of her fingers had been broken. She tucked her left hand into her side and used her right to make it all the way to where she had spotted the area to hide. She rested her back against the wall and breathed heavily. She was losing consciousness, and fast.

"_I wonder…" _Maka thought to herself. _"If Soul's okay…"_

She sighed as she slowly took in gasps of air. The world around her was getting fuzzy, and she felt like everything was moving slowly. She guessed her organs were shutting down and she was dying. Taking in one last gasp of air she slowly blinked and then closed her eyes as the world around her disappeared.

* * *

Everyone was running around desperately. It was dark out and there was absolutely no sign of Maka anywhere. Black Star, Tsubaki, Kid, Liz and Patti had all started out at the warehouse and spilt up and worked from there. Tsubaki shuddered the warehouse sight was horrible. She'd never be able to forget it.

*Flashback*

The van pulled to a stop by an abandoned warehouse. Tsubaki, Black Star, Liz, Patti, and Death the kid hopped out of the van. Tsubaki, Liz, Patti, Kid, and Black Star all immediately covered their noses with their hands. The smell was horrible, they stepped inside the warehouse and immediately regretted it. Even to people used to violence and death, like Kid, Liz and Patti the sight made them double take.

The blood was everywhere and the bodies, how could anyone do anything like that?

"this is horrible." Liz said quietly.

"Who, who would do this?" Tsubaki mumbled to herself.

"Frey D. Sadoko is a problem" Kid sighed to himself.

"Ew." Patti cried "That's not nice!"

"The great me cant stand to let people get away with this." Black Star muttered angrily.

"Ok group." Spirit said walking into the warehouse, reeling slightly at the sight and smell, despite having been there already. "Black Star, you'll take Tsubaki and head to the West, and Kid you'll take Liz and Patti and scout East. Got it?"

"Of course I understand" Black Star boasted.

"Yes sir." Kid nodded.

Tsubaki, Liz and Patti transformed to their weapon forms and landed in their meisters outstretched hands. Black Star had already taken off out of the warehouse before Tsubaki was completely in his hands. At the first touch, he took hold of the hilt of the weapon and left the warehouse leaving a slightly dumbfounded Kid and Spirit behind.

"He is very serious about finding Maka isn't he?" Kid asked.

"Yea. He is. If I was allowed to continue my patrol id be out there with him." Spirit said determinedly. "Don't you want to find Maka?"

"Yes. I want to find her, its just I haven't seen Black Star act with this kind of…determination." Kid mused.

"Well, I get what you mean, that kid usually has no drive to act that serious, but Maka and him have been friends since they were very little." Spirit sighed. "They respect each other greatly, kind of like siblings."

"Ah I see what you mean." Kid said thinking to himself of how Liz and Patti act and how they act to him. He would act the same if someone he felt was a sibling was gone.

Kid nodded to himself and ran off in the opposite way of Black Star.

*End Flashback*

Kid ran over the rooftops, eyes searching frantically each direction. There had been absolutely no sign of Maka anywhere in their section of the city. The newfound darkness had covered up and hidden the color of blood against the stones, making them all blend and the shadows hid almost everything. It would be almost impossible to spot a lone figure.

Death the kid slowed down, as he approached the truck, with Spirit waiting patiently by the door. He stopped in front of him.

"Any luck?" Spirit asked he looked hopeful.

Kid look away "No. There was no sign of her." Liz and Patti transformed back into their human forms and just looked at the ground sadly, they couldn't bear to meet Spirits eyes.

Black Star looked around frantically. He was running out of time. He had to find Maka. What kind of god was he if he couldn't save his people?

Tsubaki sighed from her spot inside the weapon. She needed to find Maka, but time was running out and chances were looking slim. She transformed out of her weapon shape and went back to her human form running alongside Black Star.

"Tsubaki?" Black Star called.

"I'm fine Black Star." She called. "I was tired of staying in my weapon…and I want to really help look for Maka."

He nodded, and together they ran in silence. Tsubaki kept her head turned to the left as she and Black Star traced their steps back to where everyone else waited, hopefully they had good news.

They were less than half a mile away, and Tsubaki and Black Star were just about to give up.

"_Maka's gone." _Tsubaki thought sadly to herself.

She was just about to quit when a sliver of white and black caught her eye and she sped off towards the half hidden object.

Black Star kept on running a few more seconds until he saw his partners desperate run toward a shadowed alley way that was half hidden by the arching doorway the enclosed the space. With a new fierce determination in his eye he took off after his partner.

They had to find Maka. They just had to.

Tsubaki ran as fast as she could. She took in large, desperate gulps of air. The alleyway was still quite a ways off. The figure shifted into the light, and fell into the alleyway before them. Tsubaki and Black Star froze.

Before them, a head of ash blonde hair lay upon the ground. Parts of the hair were dyed red, that was quickly turning dull brown.

_Blood_, was what their mind quickly associated the color with.

The white shirt and yellow sweater of the figure were stained red in multiple places. From where they stood they couldn't see any movement in her chest. Tsubaki let out a loud, shrill cry and dashed forward encompassing the figure before her in her arms. The blood that hadn't dried quickly stained her beige dress, but Tsubaki paid no heed to it. Black Star pulled up next to her and let out an angry yell and punched the wall. Tsubaki felt fresh, hot tears roll down her cheeks.

He was about to curse everyone and everything loudly, but Tsubaki tried to hug Maka tighter and Maka let out an unconscious whimper of pain. Both Tsubaki and Black Star gasped.

Maka was alive. But for how long?

Tsubaki smiled and thanked everyone and everything she could think of, and Black Star cheered happily. Tsubaki picked up the younger in her arms, being careful of the cut or bruised places and together the three of them ran towards their awaiting teammates who had no idea of their good news.

* * *

Spirit waited impatiently and anxiously by the car, Kid, Liz and Patti all stood around waiting for Black Star and Tsubaki to get back. They hoped they had found Maka but they seriously doubted it.

Spirit stood up straighter as he saw Black Star appear at the end of the road. But as they saw no Maka with him they hopes were quickly vanquished, none of them even noticed the lack of Tsubaki.

"Oi!" Black Star yelled. "Come on!"

Spirit, Kid, Liz and Patti looked confusedly. Who was he talking to?

They all held their breath as at the end of the road they saw a crying Tsubaki, who was smiling despite the ordeal, and in her arms was Maka, who was slowly and shallowly breathing.

Spirit ran forward and took his daughter from Tsubakis' arms, hugging her close to him. He stopped when she groaned in pain. Everyone rejoiced happily, and hugged each other.

Maka was found.

They all quickly piled into the car, and they sped off to Shibusen. The sooner Maka got a doctor the better.

* * *

Soul opened his eyes blearily, and looked around he was still in the emergency room, and what had happened to Maka still confused him. Wasn't she dead? He could hear people talking in the hall, more like shouting, and he strained his ears to hear them.

"Quick! Quick! Maka's been found bring to the ER stat! We'll lose her if we don't!" A doctor shouted.

Soul faced the door awaiting Maka's gurney to be brought in. How bad could she be?

When she was brought in his face paled. She looked exactly as his dream had been. She was on the brink of death, he could barely recognize her anymore, and it was his fault because he wasn't

* * *

there to protect her.

"_We are not makers of history. We are made by history." ~Martin Luther King Jr. _


	7. Drive My Soul

**Authors note: by the way, instead of just having a quote and the title at the beginning, I'm now going to make the title a line from a song and add the verse that the lyric is from. Just saying.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater or any of the songs mentioned in this chapter and later chapters all songs belong to the creator, band and label. **

_Just a Word, Chapter 7._

_Chapter 7: Drive My Soul_

"_You make the darkness disappear_

_I feel found when you stay near_

_I know where I am when you are here_

_My way becomes so clear"_

_Drive my soul - Lights_

* * *

Soul slowly blinked into consciousness. He sighed he had been here for almost a week. He kept his eyes shut trying to rid himself of the memories that lie behind his eyes. The warehouse, the fight, the dead bodies, himself, Maka and all the blood. He was never a queasy person around blood, especially when his eyes were so like the color of the red substance.

Slowly his yes crept opened and his ears picked up on the frantic working beside him. He turned his head to get a better look. He immediately paled.

Maka lie on the bed barely moving, her hair was an awful mix of ash blonde and dried blood.

A more sarcastic side of him murmured in the back of his head. _"Like wine on the white carpet, like when you spilt the bottles on the pristine rug during one of those last few parties…" _He quickly shook his head ridding himself of all the memories. When he left, he didnt want to remember them at all. There was nothing he wanted to associate with anymore, nothing from that life at least.

His mind readjusted on Maka, he could see the dark patches of blood on her clothes. He could even tell, from the odd angle of her fingers, that all the fingers on her left hand had been broken.

"_She's going to die." _Soul thought darkly, ignoring the hint of anxiousness in his mind's voice, another more darker side of his mind told him with her gone, being alone would be easier than ever. He ignored that side too.

Soul was a little surprised by his sudden thoughts, not to long ago he would not of cared what happened to the girl whom he barely knew. But they were no longer enemies, they no resembled something close to friends…

A pained whimper brought his attention back to Maka, a nurse quickly drew her hands away from Maka, she had pushed the younger girls ribs too hard.

"Maka?" Soul rasped out, his own voice sounding weird against his ears.

A nurse looked over shocked, she sent him a sad sympathetic smile and shut the curtain between them. The metal rings rattling noisily against the bar. Soul rolled back over and strained his ears to listen to the hushed talking, the sounds of the beeping machines cutting up the sentences every so often.

* * *

_-Beep-_

"_Who found her?"_

_-Beep-_

"_Black Star and Tsubaki."_

_-Beep-_

"_What are her major injuries?"_

_-Beep-_

"_Every finger in her left hand is broken."_

_-Beep-_

"_fractured shin, fractured ribs."_

_-Beep-_

"_Concussion."_

_-Beep-_

"_Poor thing was tortured."_

* * *

The words rang in Soul's head and the surge of need to protect her came back, he couldn't of helped her, He moved a bit and pain shot through his chest and he automatically recalled the part of the night he tried so hard to forget. He clutched at his shirt, he had forgotten about the scar for awhile. He laid back down and willed himself to sleep.

* * *

"Spirit. Stop pacing." Stein drawled, casting his eyes from the red haired man to the group of kids lined on the wall.

"You all need to go back home." Stein said nodding to the group of kids.

"But Maka-" Tsubaki stated she looked down and saw the dried blood stains on her usually beige dress. She could feel the tears comes back, Liz, who was the closest to her at the moment, patted her on the back.

"We want to see Maka!" Patti yelled shoving her finger into Steins face.

"Yea!" Black Star quickly joined in. "Maka and Soul would want to see the Great Me first when they wake up!"

Stein calmly pushed the accusing fingers out of his face. "Kid, talk to them, go home, we'll call you when they wake up and it is okay to visit both of them and they leave the ICU."

"Though I would prefer to be here, they wont let us in anytime soon." Kid sighed.

"Yea we might as well go home and get some rest." Liz sighed.

Patti huffed. "fine."

Black Star glanced at Stein and glared. "Fine. The Great me shall be back!"

Tsubaki hurried out after him.

"Stein." Spirit broke in. "When is Maka going to wake up?"

"Honestly?" Stain shrugged. "Who knows? Tomorrow, next week, a few months? In all actuality she might never wake up."

Spirit paled as Stein walked away.

* * *

Soul woke up slowly as he had been for the past few days, he looked to his right and was a little worried when Maka wasn't there. But the sounds of her shallow breaths to his left relaxed him a bit. She still hadn't woken up and she had been here for about 4 days, or maybe it had been a week? He couldn't remember anymore.

Soul basked in the silence around him, the monotonous beeping he had gotten used to, he smirked to himself, if Black Star were here it'd never be quiet. A strangled sounding cry almost like a whimper rang out from his left. He looked over and saw Maka pale sweating and shivering. Soul hopped off his bed, ignoring the pain his chest. Normally, he wouldn't ever initiate touch with people, but something inside of him to go and help her. He lowered himself into the chair beside her bed. He stated at her for a second, her left hand was completely wrapped in white gauze, he could also see bandages peeking out from beneath her shirt.

"Maka?" Soul called. "Oi, Maka get up!"

When his talking did nothing to ease her state he, in a move that he would never admit to anyone, placed his larger hand on top of her wrist. She relaxed for a few seconds.

A few moments later, her original state had resumed, Maka flailed and her one good hand grabbed his own. A shocked expression adorned his face, but her readjusted in his seat and gripped her smaller hand lightly.

He sighed as she finally relaxed completely.

* * *

Maka opened her eyes and let out a quiet groan. She was back.

The bodies still littered the floor, she was alone. She looked around the room. She was covered in cuts and bruises, yet none of them hurt until, Frey walked into the room.

"Now, now little Shibusen dog, watch as I kill your friends." Frey cackled, she moved to the side and there, all in a heap, lay every one of her closest friends. Maka tried to speak but her voice was game. Maka began to thrash in the holds that she couldn't remember being there before. A sharp pain in her stomach made her glance down. She watched, shocked, as Frey's extended nails slowly receded form her stomach.

"If you move, I wont just kill them I'll torture them and you and then I'll kill you the slowest way possible." Frey sneered.

Maka shut up immediately and paled. She watched, in horror as Frey drug her nails across her friends at an agonizingly slow pace. A surprisingly small, quick cut later and Frey was already onto the next one. Maka soon learned, adding to the growing list of things that horrified her, that after each person she killed Frey would make the next one slower and even more worse. Maka suppressed a shudder as she thought of what might happen to her.

Every so often, Frey would attack Maka herself, and then go back to one of the other bodies. Maka convulsed at the smell of the room got to her nose and the sight was to much to look at.

"Oh, looks like he's the last one."

Maka whipped her head up and slowly cracked open one of her eyes. She stared wide eyed at Frey as she prodded the almost dead Soul with one foot.

"_Stop!" _Maka tried to yell bit her lips wouldn't move so the shout echoed throughout her mind uselessly.

Frey disappeared and then reappeared punching Maka in the gut. Maka spat up blood. Frey slid her sharpened nails from Maka's neck to her face, making a shallow enough cut to not kill her, but deep enough to make her bleed. Frey stalked back to Soul almost gleefully.

She rolled him over, and reopened the cut the lay on his chest. Soul's body convulsed and jerked as she remade the jagged cut.

"I'm going to let him suffer and bleed out. Then I'll come back for you...Maka. But don't worry no one will come for you. You're all alone."

Maka shuddered at the way Frey said her name. Fear rose in her stomach and she could taste the bile in her throat. She pushed the feelings aside. She, now finally able to move, scrambled free from her holdings and to her friends. She shook each one desperately trying to get one of them to move and wake up. She was almost all the way through her friends when she stopped, they were all dead she was totally alone, she had watched them die and was able to do nothing. She hunched over Tsubaki and cried, she was alone.

"Maka." A voice grumbled, it seemed so far off though. Too far off to be in the room with her. But Maka still crawled over to Soul, he was the only one she hadn't checked. Maka tried to speak again but still nothing came out.

"Oi, Maka! get up!" Soul said, but his lips hadn't moved. But it was definitely his voice, Maka knew his voice almost anywhere. She gently shook him.

"Oh is he still alive?" The harsh voice of Frey rang out from a different room.

Maka froze, Frey was back. That could only mean that Frey had come to kill her.

Suddenly, like a tiny wave on a beach, a sense of relief washed over Maka. But as soon as she saw Frey's shadow approaching the corner all the relief was gone. Maka tired to turn and run but couldn't move at all.

"_I'm going to die!" _Her mind shouted at her. _"I need to move!"_

Just as before the feeling of relief flooded over her and she calmed down a bit. She looked down at her hand.

"_If feels as if someone were holding it…" _

Maka calmed herself down, concentrating on the slight comforting pressure on her hand. She could practically visualize a larger hand atop her own. The image of Frey slowly melted away, Maka closed her eyes as she found herself n a dark, dark place. There was nothing around her, but she was calm and at ease as she drifted off to sleep, giving the phantom hand a slight squeeze.

"Thanks." She whispered to no one in particular.

* * *

Soul laid back a bit in the chair, still holding onto Maka's hand. She was calming down at least. Soul was about to walk away when he felt a light squeeze on his hand.

"_Oh shit is she up?"_ He thought, groaning to himself mentally, trying to figure out ways he was going to explain this. He sighed in relief when he saw that she was in fact still asleep.

"Thanks." She mumbled, Soul himself, would later wonder if he had actually heard her say anything.

Still, Soul gave her a small half smirk, half smile. He squeezed her hand once more and walked back to his bed, slowly drawing the curtain between the two of them.

"_Why the hell did I do that?" _Soul thought angrily to himself.

He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm just in a weird mood from all the blood loss and the medicine." He mumbled to himself.

* * *

Maka awoke the next morning with a doctor standing over her. "Uh…Hello?"

"Oh! Hello Ms. Albarn, how are you feeling?" The doctor, whose name tag read Medusa, smiled.

"Ugh." was all Maka groaned back.

"Poor thing. Are you up for visitors?" Medusa asked calmly.

Maka brightened. "Oh yes! Send them in!"

"Ok, I'll be right back."Maka looked around the unfamiliar room, she froze when between the half closed partition she could see the unmistakable mop of white hair that belonged to Soul. Her dream and the attack flickered at the back of her mind.

"_Is he dead?" _She thought to herself.

"Hey um-" Maka began but was cut off when Black Star's loud voice resounded through the small room and what she guessed was a hallway that lay before it. She bit back a laugh when she saw Soul try to shrink into himself and try to bury or at least hide his head under the pillow.

Maka smiled to herself, he was ok.

"Maka! Soul! I, the great Black Star will cure you!""Black Star calm down! Or at least be quieter!" Tsubaki's quieter voice scolded.

"God, does he even know the meaning of the words 'be' and 'quiet'?" Soul groaned rolling over and stuffing his head and hand underneath his pillows, lying on his stomach.

He flinched about 20 seconds later and rolled onto his back, his face grim.

Maka looked over sadly, she had almost forgotten about the cut that lie there. She shook her head trying to rid herself of the memories.

"How long have I been out?" Maka asked looking around the room.

"About 4 days." Medusa said walking out of the room. "I'll be back soon!"

Tsubaki shifted awkwardly, and Black Star looked around the room, as Maka nodded slowly letting the information sit with her.

"So how have you been?" Maka asked the room of people. "Oh where's Kid, Liz and Patti?"

"They're meeting with Lord Death, they said they'd come around later." Tsubaki smiled at the younger girl.

"Oh that's okay." Maka nodded to herself, still a little bit spacey. "How's school been?"

"Its been good. A little slow people were uh a little…distracted." Tsubaki said awkwardly.

"Hahaha!" Black Star yelled. "Now that I am here you shall heal!"

"I don't think that's going to work." Maka said dryly.

Soul smirked from behind the screen.

"Anyways…" Maka began.

"Soul! I haven't seen you in so long!" Black Star yelled ripping back the screen and almost ripping it off its hinges.

"Are you an idiot?" Soul yelled jerking away from the falling screen.

"Hoho! Soul you're awake!" Black Star cheered.

"Ugh, who can sleep with you around?" Soul sighed falling back onto his bed.

Tsubaki giggled from her spot near Maka. She gave Maka an amused look, which caused Maka herself to begin to laugh.

Soul and Black Star looked confusedly over at the girls.

"What's so funny?" Black Star asked looking between him and Soul and Maka and Tsubaki.

He looked back down at the equally confused Soul, who just shook his head smirking.

"I still don't get it." Black Star pouted.

Maka began to laugh boisterously, everyone else stopped for a second but then laughed equally as loud.

"Ow." Maka winced and gasped quietly. 3 pairs of eyes quickly glanced her way.

'_Guess I wasn't quiet enough…' _She thought to herself.

"Oh, it sounds like it's time for the visitors to leave." Medusa said walking back in the room.

"Oh no, they can stay" Maka smiled. "I'm fine."

"Nope, we have to run some check ups on you and Mr…Eater over there." Medusa said raising her eyebrow at his last name.

"Oh alright then." Maka shrugged. "See you later Tsubaki, Black Star!" Maka waved and smiled at them. Soul raised a two fingered salute.

"Bye Maka. I hope you feel better." Tsubaki smiled leaving the room. "Oh and bye to you too Soul."

"Alright!" Black Star yelled. "The Great Me will be back to heal you two!" He laughed loudly.

Black Star fist pounded Soul. "Good to have you back man."

Black Star then up and ran out of the room.

"He is quite the excited one." Medusa said quietly smiling at Maka.

Maka smiled back a little awkwardly. There was something off about this doctor. Medusa walked over to Souls bed.

"alright you two, I know you are both healing but you need more sleep. This is going to help you get to sleep Soul. We'd give some to you Maka but it wouldn't work with the medication you are on now. Oh Maka there will also be someone coming by later this week to talk to you about…"

"Um okay?" Maka said awkwardly, exchanging a brief confused look with Soul.

Maka froze for a second, there was something weird about the Doctor and the syringe she was injecting into the IV. It didn't look right, and the malicious glee that briefly flashed across Medusa's face was also confusing.

As Soul fell asleep and then eventually Maka, she couldn't help but wonder over Medusa's weird behavior and the what ever she had given Soul.

The all to familiar sense of foreboding crawled back into her stomach.

Something bad was going to happen.


	8. Shout

Just a Word Chapter 8.

_Shout, shout, let it all out, these are the things I can do withoutCome on, I'm talking to you, come onThey really, really ought to know_

_Shout - Tears For Fears._

Maka blinked multiple times against the harsh sunlight that was currently streaming in through the windows and taking residence on her eyelids. Needless to say it wasn't a very pleasurable wake up, the sun coupled with Black Star's incessant talking from outside her room.

Maka groaned and sat up, "_might as well get it over with_" She thought to herself blandly. "_They can't hold him off forever_."

She yawned and looked around the room, her sights falling on the asleep Soul in the bed next to hers. Before she could jump to the next thought Black Star jumped through the door and launched himself onto Soul's bed sitting at the end of it, poking Soul in the leg, Tsubaki for once, was not with Black Star.

"_Either Soul is really asleep, or he's the best damn fake sleeper I have ever seen." _Maka thought idly to herself while Soul had still not 'awoken' to Black Star's pokes and prods. _"Probably the latter."_

Soul growled from underneath his pillow and kicked Black Star off the bed, the blue haired boy grumbling on the floor.

"Soul! What was that for?"

"You idiot! Why were you poking me? And do you have to be so god damn loud?" Soul grumbled throwing his pillow at Black Stars face.

The pillow made dead contact with the younger boys face, the pillow flopped to the ground and Black Star gave a haughty laugh.

"Your pillows have no effect on the great me!"

Soul smirked and started catapulting more pillows and other random items at the boy on the floor, who gladly accepted the challenge with a laugh and ran about the room proclaiming his skill.

Maka watched the scene with a slightly gaping mouth. They couldn't be serious right? She had never seen anybody act this weird, and she lived with her dad, or well she used to. But still she had never seen these two, well no she had never seen Soul this laid back and expressive. She had seen Black Star like that plenty of times. He was an exception in himself but that was why they were friends. She sighed and sat up her bed gave and awful and loud creaking noise and both boys swung their heads towards her. She gave a small awkward smile and wave in return, trying to act like she hadn't just been gawking at them.

"Maka!" Black Star yelled jumping off the floor and onto her bed for once.

Maka stared at Black Star who was jabbering about what he had been doing with Soul seconds before. The story he told her however was very, very embellished from the thing she had just seen.

Black Star waved his hands wildly. "Then, Soul threw this really, really sharp thing. Right at my face! And then seconds before it hit I, the great me, expertly bent over backwards and if flew right over me!"

"Oh really Black Star?" Maka said absently.

"Dude," Soul said from the other side of the room, "It was a pencil. Also you didn't bend over backwards you slipped on the edge of the pillow I threw at you."

Maka giggled into her hand, her left arm still laying at her side. She didn't really feel like moving it. She was still very sore.

"Maka! Its not funny!" Black Star said embarrassed. "What the hell soul! I was so much cooler than that! You're just jealous you aren't as awesome as the great me!"

"Sure dude. Sure." Soul smirked laying back down.

"So Black Star where's Tsubaki?" Maka asked once her laughter had calmed down.

"Oh um…" Black Star thought, he scratched the back of his head, adjusting his seating on Maka's bed "I think she's talking to some teacher…?"

Maka sighed and shook her head. Some things will never change.

Soul watched the pair from his bed. _'I'd forgotten they were friends.' _He thought to himself.

Soul cast his red eyed gaze back towards Maka and Black Star, they were still acting as they always acted; Black Star was being an idiot yelling about something and talking in Maka's face and Maka wasn't really paying him much attention and just nodding along snorting at something he did or said. But, Soul could see a subtle difference in the way they acted towards each other.

Maka was so uptight around Black Star and it startled Soul a little bit when he saw Black Star rearrange himself on her bed and he actually made sure he avoided any of Maka's limbs injured or not. They way they looked at each other and then some days in class weeks ago before he'd ever even really talked to Maka, he had seen their challenging smirks to each other in gym class. The silent competitions between the two.

It suddenly dawned on him just how they acted.

'_They're like siblings…its like a sibling rivalry…' _

A deep pang resounded in Soul's chest. Not from the wound that was still slowly healing, but it was kind of like longing as memories of his own sibling rivalry flashed before his eyes. He snarled quietly, he was not thinking about them. Not now, not ever.

He flopped onto his bed and shut his eyes, trying to draw up sleep. Sleep right now was definitely better than thinking about his family or talking at the moment.

"Hey. Hey Soul!" Black Star said loudly.

A loud smack was heard accompanied by a definitely quieter "Maka Chop"

"Ow Maka." Black Star whined . "What was that for?"

"He's obviously trying to sleep." Maka explained exasperated.

"Oh. But I wanna talk to him!"

"You are such an idiot." Maka sighed. "You just were talking to him."

"I guess, fine." Black Star pouted.

Maka shifted in her bed, and winced slightly when she moved some injured body part. She avoided Black Star oddly serious gaze, looking down at the floor.

Soul, who wasn't actually sleeping, strained to listen to what had happened. They were entertaining to say the least and their silence was oddly interesting.

"Maka." Black Star said quietly.

'_Black Star being quiet? I have got to see what's going on.' _Soul thought disbelieving his carefully rolled his head to face them and cracked an eye open.

From what he could see, Maka sat on her bed still, Black Star sat close to her his gaze trained on the gauze wrapped around her various body parts.

"What is it Black Star?" She asked quiet still not looking at him.

'_the hell? That girl is never not confident. What is going on?" _Soul thought wildly. He wasn't really sure how to act about Black Star and Maka's personality change. _'guess I don't know her or him for that matter as well as I thought I did."_

"Maka" Black Star said quiet still. In a move that shocked Soul; and Maka as well, for Soul could see her breath hitch slightly from where he sat, Black Star lightly trailed his fingertips along some of the gauze covering Maka's arm and down to her fingers that still lay in a cast. "this bastard who did this to you, and soul, I am going to get him. I am going to hurt him for hurting you. Both of you." Black Star said fiercely.

Maka smiled at the boy in front of her. Soul felt awkward like he was intruding on a pact between two siblings. The horrible sense of nostalgia rose in the back of his throat again and he swallowed it down.

"thank you Black Star." Maka said. Then she got a determined look in her eye. "But if I ever meet him again and I have to chance to attack him, you better damn well stand down"

Black Star face broke into a splitting grin. "You got it Maka!" He laughed.

Maka smiled despite what they had just been talking about.

"Sometimes I forget you aren't little like when we met." Black Star laughed spreading his thumb and forefinger apart showing how 'little' she was.

"Really?" Maka challenged. "Cuz you still are that tiny."

Maka smirked as Black Star sputtered over her insult.

"I am a bigger star now!" Black Star declared jumping off the bed. "Oh. I think I was supposed to go find Tsubaki awhile ago…"

"Go you idiot." Maka sighed.

Black Star shot her another grin and bounded out of the room, yelling a loud 'goodbye' to both Maka and Soul.

Maka chuckled to herself and opened a nearby book and began to read. Soul sat quietly his eyes shut once again as he let everything sink in. Maka and Black Star had been closer than he anticipated. He cut the thought short though. He needed to stop thinking all together right now.

'_Sleep.' _he thought to himself tiredly. _'Sleep is good.'_

The sun peeked through the blinds, once again dragging Soul and Maka out of their medicine induced sleep. Maka blinked a couple times and rubbed her eyes waving half heartedly at Soul who groaned at the sunlight and tried to bury his face farther in his pillow.

'_5, 4, 3, 2, and 1' _Maka mentally counted down. Right after she got to 1 Soul grunted in displeasure and sat up in his bed, hand flinging out to grab the nearby TV remote.

Maka smirked to herself. The past few days in the hospital stuck in the same room with Soul had taught her a few things about Soul himself, well more like his odd mannerisms and how grumpy he is once he wakes up.

"It's so quiet." Maka spoke softly. "When Black Star isn't around, well when anyone isn't around for that matter."

Soul raised a white brow at her and glanced at her, she skillfully and purposely kept her gaze trained on the TV. He snorted "Whatever, at least it's quiet. Black Star can be too loud and annoying sometimes."

Maka turned her sharp gaze towards him. "Yea, well he is your best friend isn't he?"

Soul smirked. "Yea and? Tsubaki is your best friend and you are in now way as nice as she is."

Maka thought for a second. "Hey! Are you joking about my-" Maka floundered for a moment wondering how she could phrase her sentence without sounding like him so much.

"About your what Maka? Abrasive personality or lack of boobs?"

Maka gaped at him. "I… How could you just say that?" She shrieked at him her face flushing ever so slightly.

Soul sniggered to himself, it was so easy to get her wound up. "Chill Maka, chill." He paused for a second. "And I totally meant both."

He fell cackles of laughter as her face brightened into a cherry red color, due to both anger and embarrassment.

As soon as he calmed down, a large book clocked him on the side of his face. "Oh what was that-" He began to ask annoyed.

"If you dare say what was that for, I will lose what little respect I have for you. Could you be that stupid?" Maka said staring shocked at him.

Soul felt his anger prickle at the girl before him, but when he saw her teasing undertones and the gleam in her eye, he just sighed to himself and gave a short laugh. He handed her back her book.

"Fine, fine. Here you go." Soul muttered, thankful she didn't hear the added on part about her 'violent personality'

She took the book back and reopened to the page she was on as Soul turned back towards the momentarily forgotten TV.

Their…friendship, as both of them would hesitantly call it, was not very normal. But then again nothing this duo, and their friends for that matter, nothing they did was ever normal. But Soul and Maka had the oddest friendship at the moment. They spent their days confined to hospital beds, nagging and insulting each other, but each could see the teasing looks that told the other that they didn't mean most of it. Slowly they had begun to build up their trust, and friendship in one another.

It was odd, Maka found herself thinking most times when she pretending to read; but she was really just trying not to focus on the boy near her, that she and Soul had changed towards each other so much in the past few weeks since coming to live together. But thankfully, or so she thought, she had yet to feel another burst of emotion towards the boy like the one she had felt when she saw him play the piano.

She shook her head. The past was the past and the Soul she met back then very rarely showed up and perhaps that was a good thing. She was somewhat friends with this new Soul, and she had never even spoken to the old Soul.

Truth be told, on the days when Soul would sleep long after she had awoken, Maka would find herself missing his sarcastic presence.

Soul didn't really care for anything on TV at the moment. But it was a good white noise to his running thoughts. Mostly he liked it their so he could always convince himself that the voice he heard was just a TV character and not his own twisted psyche.

But he knew deep down what it probably was, he just was probably never going to admit it to anyone. Ever.

He was still a little perplexed at Maka and how quickly they had forgotten about the fact that they used to hate each other. He spent his first year at least hating her for, mainly stupid, reasons. But once they were forced together at school and at his house, things changed quickly.

It shocked him how easily the hate faded and the friendship was born. But he mentally shrugged, it was tiring and un-cool to hate a person. So he welcomed this new whatever he had with Maka.

And, not like he'd ever admit to it, even on the pain of death, but Maka was somewhat interesting behind all the nerd she had. What still bothered him was her relationship with her father.

"_I'm not going to pry into that.' _Soul thought to himself. _"I wouldn't want to tell her, nor will I ever tell her about my family, so why should her story matter?"_

"_**Back to your family there boy?" **_The dark voice whispered in his ear. _**"Whatcha thinking about? How you'll never be as good as them?"**_

Soul growled deep in his throat. He was getting so tired of whatever that voice was. He flipped the channels on the TV idly.

"Ooh! Stop there!" Maka suddenly yelled giddily.

"What? Here?" Soul asked disbelieving gesturing to the tv show which was a documentary on places to visit in the world. "You want to watch this?"

"Yes, now shut up and let me watch." Maka glared half heartedly at him.

Soul shook his head and laid down on his pillows. He was so bored of sitting in the hospital, but the damn doctors wouldn't let him leave his room, hell he could barely even leave his bed most days. Soul shifted his eyes to Maka who was watching the documentary with something like…apprehension?

No, she was staring, uh what was that damn word? Soul thought, _"Wistfully?" _His mind supplied.

"Do you, uh, do you want to travel?" Soul asked awkwardly.

Maka gave a short laugh that was so cold and out of character that Souls head whipped towards her. "No, I don't want to travel the world. Who would want to leave all their friends and family behind?"

Soul gave her another cautious glance and decided not to push the subject any further…something else was going on. He buried his head in his pillows and let himself fall into yet another sleep.

"I feel like all im doing lately is sleeping." Soul thought as he drifted off.

It was kinda true.

Maka stared hard at the tv, had her mother been there? What had she seen? Who had she met?

Did she even miss her own daughter?

She shook her head and concentrated on the giant waterfall tumbling over the rocks on the tv, her mother would come back to her one day.

If she really wanted too.

Soul was slowly pulled from his sleep by two quietly bickering voices.

"_what the?" _His thought blearily, he was exhausted so he cracked his eyes open a bit.

In front of him Maka sat with her arms crossed on her bed glowering at her father who was staring dreamily out the door. From the light in the room, he could tell it was sometime in the afternoon still.

"I cant believe you." Maka said angrily.

"What did I do maka? You can tell you papa!" Her dad yelled leaping to her bedside.

Maka glared at him. "You know what you do!"

Spirit cocked his head to the side. Looking exactly like a confused dog at the moment. "Huh?"

"You, you're a womanizer! You flirt with anything that can wear a skirt."

"But, papa still loves you and mama the most though!"

Soul stilled in his bed, the conversation before him sounding eerily familiar. He was silently glad that he was not on the receiving end of Makas glare.

"Mama's gone." Maka whispered harshly. "And now you're divorced."

Soul heard a small click and he turned his head slightly to see Tsubaki and an a very silent and very out of character Black Star standing in the doorway.

"Maka," Spirit said slowly. "Mama left to travel the world. And…" He trailed off.

Soul immediately thought back to the documentary he had watched with Maka a few hours ago.

'_That's why she looked like that…'_

The voice that usually retorted back to him was thankfully silent.

"She left, because she found out you were cheating on her." Maka said her voice dangerously low and quiet.

Spirit sighed and adorned a look that easily read hurt and shamed to anyone who looked at him. He glanced sadly at his daughter and whispered something into her ear and left the room, not even nodding to Tsubaki and Black Star who filtered into the room.

Soul sat up and fully opened his eyes. He glanced back to Maka who had curled up into a ball and her shoulders shook.

'_that's why she hates her father." _Soul thought as all the pieces of her odd behavior fell into place. _"That also explains why she hates all guys so much…not cool Spirit, not cool"_

Tsubaki immediately sat herself on Maka's bed and gathered the smaller girl into her arms, Black Star rubbed a comforting hand on Maka's back a few times and then galloped over to Soul, a very fake, very forced grin on his face.

Soul couldn't tear his eyes away from Maka and Tsubaki, he didn't miss the silent 'thank you' Tsubaki mouthed to Black Star. Soul idly wondered if this was a often occurrence for them. He quickly noticed the odd feeling in his chest that told him to go over there and comfort her himself.

He pushed it aside with much effort and tore his attention away from the girls and towards Black Star who looked at him oddly.

Soul refocused. Maka didn't need him over there in her space.

'what was I saying before?' he thought dryly to himself. 'we're not even that close of friends.'

But even as he thought that he couldn't help but feel an odd pang of something like sadness or maybe need, resonate throughout his chest and entire being.


	9. Lion

**A/N: So I pretty much suck, that is all there is to it. I haven't updated in forever but im trying also expect a Badass Training Montage soon.**

* * *

**Just A Word Chapter 9.**

"_I've been living in a world,_

_Of shattered hopes and dreams,_

_I fell into a ghost, could it be my own?_

_Poor broken hearted me." – Lion by Andy Brown_

* * *

Soul was going stir crazy.

He had been in the hospital for at least 2 and half weeks but so far it had felt like a lifetime had passed. He glared at the window; the sun was mocking him it seemed shining down onto the courtyard he had a view of. Though from his vantage point he could always see Black Star's shock of blue hair followed by Tsubaki's trailing form that gave him time to warn himself and Maka of the impending arrival.

Speaking of Maka, Soul turned his head slightly to look at her. Maka had a book lain out on her bed tray, she looked like she was reading it, but Soul hadn't heard a page turn in quite some time. Ever since Maka's father had shown up and he had eavesdropped on them and found out what caused Maka's hatred of men and her father, she had been oddly quiet. She didn't act too weird, Soul supposed, she just tended to stay in her own head more often.

Soul didn't mind the new found silence of their room; they had long been off the heart monitors so the never ending beeping had thankfully left their presence. But the silence between them was not awkward like Soul had first imagined, it was comfortable for the two of them.

His silence was broken when Medusa walked in the room.

"Good news you two," Medusa said smiling oddly behind her clipboard. "Later this afternoon you are both being released. Just no strenuous exercises or activities, for both of you, Soul you must be careful of the cut, there is still a small chance it would reopen and Maka you fingers have healed mostly, you have no lasting effects from the concussion and your shin seems fine, but you must be wary of your ribs. They are much harder to heal and they haven't progressed as far as your other injuries. Other than that you both are free to go later today."

Medusa sauntered away from the room and Maka let of a sigh of relief. "Thank god. I was beginning to go insane in here."

Soul laughed. "I was beginning to consider Black Star's offer on letting him sneak me out, anything would be better than this hospital bed and the bland food."

Maka shot him a bland look. "Black Star? Really?"

"What?" Soul almost snorted at her face, but rethought it when he saw the leather bound book still in her grasp. "Isn't Black Star an assassin? At least that's what he runs around shouting about, that and his 'God' status."

Maka once again shot him a disbelieving look, "Soul. Black Star is practically incapable of being quiet, he loves the attention."

Soul gave a loud laugh in response to her dry tone. Maka smiled in response and returned her attention to her book. Once Soul finally finished laughing he winced slightly at the soreness of his wound. Maka's own smile faltered slightly.

"Okay then Maka," Soul said in a challenging tone. "If not Black Star, then who would be the best for sneaking out of the hospital?"

Maka studied him for a second, closing her book and facing him slightly.

Soul took a second to note Makas injuries, had gotten a lot better in the past two weeks. He was oddly surprised that once that thought passed a sense of relief floated in the back of his mind.

"Well," Maka pondered. "At first I'd pick Tsubaki on principle."

"Tsubaki?!" Soul said confused. "She would hardly try and break you out of here."

"Yes, that's why I said 'at first', she's not a very good liar."

Soul snorted again. "I can tell."

Maka tossed a marker at his head. "Hey. She's still my friend and I personally like it better that she doesn't lie."

Soul and Maka both fidgeted as the tense moment fell between them. Soul averted his eyes to a random corner of the room and Maka clamped her mouth shut.

"So, uh, what about Liz or Patti?" Soul mumbled, still not looking at her.

Maka once again smiled, she couldn't help it lately but sometimes she just, couldn't help herself when Soul was just…well, Soul.

Maka then blanched at the thought of Liz and Patti trying to help her escape the hospital. "they're good friends and all but…I'd be a little worried."

Soul paused and then red eyes swiveled back over to her. He nodded at her, "Yea, they can be a little much and I pretty sure Patti is insane."

"Im pretty sure Kidd would go insane if he were the one to try and help us escape."

Soul smirked "The plan wouldn't be symmetrical enough. He has a serious OCD problem."

Maka laughed. "He does. Im surprised Liz and Patti put up with enough to deal with him, let alone live with him."

"I can only imagine what that house is like." Soul said his gaze drifting up to the ceiling.

"What do you think?" Maka giggled. "Everything is symmetrical. I stayed the night once and everything was in perfect alignment. It was definitely weird."

Soul smirked. "I would have moved one thing in everything room over 7 inches."

Maka gaped at him and the dissolved into laughter. "I think his head would have exploded then. Okay so pretty much none of our friends would make very good kidnappers. I suppose that's a good thing."

Soul snorted. "We'd be thrown back into the hospital so fast no one would even have time to notice that we had even left."

Maka laughed and nodded her head at him. "So if we're ever stuck in this hospital again, we just are going to have to grin and bear it and somehow force down all of this dry food and cheap cable soap operas."

Soul shot her a smug grin, "Don't girls eat that shit up?"

Maka sent him a half-hearted glare in return, "I do not enjoy soap operas. I prefer my romances to be of the literary kind. So much more invested, emotional and interesting that way."

Soul cracked up laughing, wincing when it moved the healing wound on his chest too much. "Oh god. You are such a bookworm, I used to just call you that for no reason, but you really are a bookworm aren't you Maka?"

Maka shrugged. "I like books. At least I have an above average IQ, and Im not failing English."

"Hey, I'm not failing English."

"I didn't imply you were Soul, some of the kids in our grade though…need some work."

"Maka Albarn you have a secret snarky side don't you?" Soul said smiling at her impishly.

Maka again gave him a half smile and shrugged a shoulder. "It's not so secret."

"You are way cooler than I originally thought."

"Thank you, it means so much." She deadpanned, Soul just chuckled in response.

"Alright, so if we are ever stuck in this boring ass hospital, as partners, we should just break each other out of here. Unless we're both in here, then we have to suffer through." Soul said after a few moments of silence.

Maka paused for a second, taken off-guard, but she smiled hesitantly at him. "You got it Soul. Deal."

Soul grinned widely at her and turned back to the TV while Maka turned her attention back to her book, the smiles staying on both their faces long after the conversation had ended.

* * *

Maka decided that today was a beautiful day despite that fact that the once sunny weather had quickly turned to a downpour rather than the slightly sunny sky she was looking at when she woke up. Rain like this usually left her depressed and locked inside her memories, but today her memories were far behind her for once. She was getting out of the hospital today and that made her more excited than anything.

She chanced a glance over at Soul who was fixated on the pudding cup that the day nurse, a woman named Sara or something like that, had brought them a few moments earlier. She and Soul had gotten slightly closer to each other in the past few weeks they'd been kept at the hospital. Maka stretched her arms in front of her shaking her head of thinking too far into what was going on between her and Soul. They were once some sort of enemies but their partnership had connected them and made them into a sort of slowly developing friendship.

Maka inwardly cheered at the fact that soon, she would be able to relax, safe and comfortable, at home and just read and watch whatever and not have doctors and nurses coming inside the room at the oddest moments. She hummed in happiness, ripping the pudding top off of the cup of pudding in front of her.

She paused in her thoughts of home and relaxation when she realized all of the make-up work that she was going to have to do for all of her classes. Tsubaki had brought her some of the work and notes she had missed but there's was still at least a week's worth of things she was missing.

Soul twirled his spoon in his cup of pudding, trying to get all of the leftover bits. His face turned white. "Oh god. We have make-up work."

Maka gave a short-stunned laugh, a little disbelieving that their thoughts were on the same wavelength, but she recovered quickly and addressed her partner. "Yes, we have make-up work, we can't just skip all of the stuff we weren't therefore."

Soul eyed her and pointed his pudding spoon in her direction. "Im sure we could just skip, a cool guy like me doesn't need to do make-up work."

"Yes he does if he wants to pass."

Soul mumbled under his breath unhappily, slinking further into his bed.

Maka was a little anxious of what was going to happen in class when the two of the returned. She imagined it would be full of stares and whispers. She was not excited about that, Black Star had told them on one of his first visits that everyone knew she and Soul had been hurt and gone missing and had since been hospitalized. Tsubaki at least said that people were worried about them. Visitors had dropped by every so often, mostly they had been close friends and family, everyone else had been turned away by the ever present shadow of Dr. Medusa.

Something was slightly off about her, she could feel something off in the air when she walked in the room, Maka didn't know if Soul shared in her paranoia because when Medusa talked with her white-haired companion it was almost always when Maka was asleep or having her own tests done by her doctor, but Soul was always very distracted when Maka returned.

Another curious thing that had happened was that Soul's family had not shown up yet to visit him, Maka knew that his family didn't live in Death City but she assumed at least one of them would come to visit when Soul was in critical condition, which he was, for a long time. This made Maka pause, she wondered if someone had sent out word to her mother about what had happened, or if only her father was informed, due to him being her sole caregiver. No one had told Maka whether her mother was informed of her state or not.

Kami Albarn was a hard woman to catch a hold of these days. She was a brilliant scythe-meister back in her days, but these days she was like a shadow, impossible to pinpoint where she actually was and harder to catch. She hadn't heard from anyone that she had dropped by, and her father wasn't seen to be groveling at her feet anywhere so she assumed she either hadn't gotten word of it yet, or hadn't been able to make it.

The next few hours passed in relative silence as various nurses and doctors came through. Medusa stopped by once her eyes trained on Soul a little too long before she flit off to the next room. Maka watched her warily as she left the room, she sent a questioning glance to Soul who just shrugged at Medusa's strange behavior.

* * *

They walked towards the door about an hour later after all the nurses and doctors had cleared them to go. Soul glanced at Maka who was surprisingly strong on her feet despite the fact that she still had a few minor injuries and things still healing on herself, Maka looked over when she felt his gaze on her. "What?"

"Nothing." Soul shrugged. "How are we getting back home?"

Maka paused. "I don't really know."

As the two of them walked into the midday sun, they saw a sight that simultaneously frightened and excited them. Waiting in the parking lot of the hospital was Black Star who was seated atop Soul's orange motorcycle.

"My ride!" Soul shouted and jogged forward. He ran his hand reverently over the orange paint as Black Star congratulated himself on being such a smart thoughtful friend and God to look after those around him. "Dude Black Star you rock, thanks."

Black Star gave a deep laugh "No worries Soul! This big star shall always look out for you smaller stars!" Black Star laced his fingers behind his head. "Hey Maka."

"Hello Black Star. Where's Tsubaki?"

"Around. I think she said something about Liz and Patti." He said his eyes averting to something in the distance.

Maka inwardly laughed to herself. Though Black Star didn't really show it, he was very protective of his friends and partner; he almost always knew where they all were.

"You feeling better?" he asked her, eyes still focused on the distance, his voice for once almost drowned out by Soul's happy crowing and the motorcycles engine being ignited.

Maka smiled over at him. "Yeah, still a little sore in some places but practically good as new."

Black Star nodded and then smirked suddenly "Good cuz then I can beat you up when we train!"

Maka mock glared at him. "I'm going to beat you up! Just you watch!" She gestured wildly swinging a pointing finger over at Black Star who just brushed it off.

"Sure sure keep telling yourself that."

Maka stuck her tongue out at him and stalked over to Soul who sat atop his motorcycle revving the engine.

"You ready?"

Maka nodded and sat down on the back of the motorcycle, she glared at Black Star as the peeled out of the parking lot his smirking face watching them until they disappeared. Maka held on to Souls side loosely with one hand, her left hand held on to the edge of her seat. She didn't really mind the motorcycle to be honest, she wasn't afraid of the vehicle. She had seen some people have to practically be forced onto the back of a bike, but Maka took to it well enough.

She was a little more wary this time, due to her and Soul's healing injuries and all, but the rush of the wind past her ears almost drowned out the volume of her thoughts and Maka welcomed that change. She closed her eyes and tightened her grip a little bit the rush of the wind often reminded her of being a child at the park, her mother just over the hill a bit basking in the sun, sitting on the swingsets, pumping her legs to swing higher, and once she reached the peak of the swing, closing her eyes and leaning back and just letting herself swing back and forth until she reached a stop.

Sometimes the nostalgia of those moments hurt.

* * *

The motorcycle came to a stop in front of the apartment and Maka hopped off lightly. Soul joined at her side a moment later. He stretched his arms in front of him "It's been so long."

Maka nodded looking up at the multicolored building. "Let's go up." Maka said jogging off to the steps; Soul yawned and followed after her at a slower pace.

When they entered the apartment Maka was hit with a feeling of contentment and belonging. She gave an excited squeal and dove towards her bedroom. A gleeful "I missed my bed!" drifted out from the room. Soul chuckled and went through the apartment turning on lights and walking into his own room. It was practically the same as he had left it, but now that he was back he was so happy he wasn't in the boring hospital anymore.

Maka drifted back out from her room a peaceful smile on her face; she looked at the clock she then looked back to him "Dinner?"

Soul grimaced. "We don't have a lot. Mostly frozen food."

Maka pondered for a moment a slight look of distaste gracing her face. "I guess that's ok for today."

Soul pulled out two dinners at random and set the oven. "Yeah we need to shop for," he looked in the fridge and the pantries "everything pretty much."

Maka groaned. "I don't want to go to the store."

Soul shot her a look "Well you don't have to go today."

Maka stared at him for a long moment until Soul shifted under her gaze uncomfortably. "What?"

"Can you go to the store?"

"Maka I'm not doing all the shopping!"

"Please?"

"No!"

"Why?"

"It's, it's unfair or something Maka!"

Maka sighed. "Fine we'll both go tomorrow. We probably need some other stuff as well."

"It doesn't even feel like we were gone that long, why is everything gone?" Soul groaned throwing himself into a chair and sighing as if he was the next Atlas.

"Well the mission length plus the recuperation time in the hospital everything expired." Maka shrugged eyeing the oven, why was the food taking so long?

Soul let out a noise between a groan and a growl, the room fell into a companionable silence after that as they both waited for their food. When the oven finally beeped Maka let out a happy noise and pulled the food from the oven. Soul ignored the cool down warning on the side of the box and dove right into his food, reeling back a moment later.

"Ouch! Ow! Shit I burned my tongue!" Soul yelled drinking water and sticking out his tongue trying to inspect the damage.

Maka laughed at him as she carefully stirred her food and let it cool. "It does say to wait."

"But I was hungry." Soul whined.

Maka snorted "Then it serves you right."

Soul watched her for a moment and when she wasn't looking he picked up a piece of food from his plate and flicked it at Maka, it landed in her lap and Soul smirked until Maka let out and undignified squawk. "Soul!"

"Oops. Serves you right."

Maka gaped at Soul as he dug back into his food, shoulders shaking with mirth as he tried to keep in his laughing as best as possible. Maka grinned darkly, flinging her own piece of food at Soul, it landed in his hair which made Maka inwardly gloat.

"Maka" Soul drawled. "not cool." He picked the piece of food from his hair. When he wasn't looking Maka reached across the small table and thwacked him on the head with a nearby book.

Soul face planted into the table and stayed there a moment.

"Ow."

He slowly lifted his head up, his arms coming up in a sign of surrender. "Alright, alright, I give. Truce?" He held out his hand.

Maka smiled and took it. "Okay truce."

A few moments later she spoke up again.

"I would have crushed you."

"I do not doubt that."


End file.
